A live Christmas tree is a joy to have in the home. It is beautiful, pre-assembled, and it smells wonderful! However, these innocent trees are a potential fire hazard in the home. Did you know that live Christmas trees are responsible for 13 million dollars of property damage each year? If a live tree comes into contact with a spark, it can be fully engulfed in flames in a matter of seconds! Don’t believe me? Check out the Incredible Speed of a Live Christmas Tree Fire published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Here are a few safety tips to avoid this disaster in your home:
- Purchase the freshest tree possible. The needles should be bright green and difficult to pluck. If it is already shedding easily, it is not a good choice.
- Before putting the tree in the stand, cut off about 1/2 an inch from the bottom of the tree so that it can absorb water easily.
- Put the tree in a location far away from heat sources such as fireplaces, space heaters, candles, heat vents and even high-wattage lights.
- Use Christmas lights that have been testing for safety. If you have any damaged or questionable light strands, throw them away. Better to spend $10 on new lights than $10,000 on home repair.
- Keep it well watered! Dry wood burns faster and hotter than wet wood, so make sure that your tree is never thirsty.
- Turn the Christmas tree lights off when you leave the house or go to bed. In the unlikely event that your lights to cause a fire, you want to be there to minimize the damage.
Every cloud has a silver lining, and a live Christmas tree is no exception. However, none of these safety precautions should hinder the holiday spirit. So take a few moments to ensure your tree is safe, and enjoy the festivities!
Merry Christmas from Elzey Insurance!