Don't Let Your Christmas Go Up in Flames

One minute and 13 seconds—that's how long it can take for a dry Christmas tree to burn to ash when exposed to an electrical short or other heat source. 

The culprit of most fires? Old lights with frayed wires. When placed on an under-watered Christmas tree, one short and the result—as seen in this video—can be devastating.

"Just because it looks pretty doesn't mean it's safe," Prince George's Fire Chief Marc Bashoor said during the department's demonstration of fire dangers specific to the holiday season.

"That tree had not been properly watered and it went up like a match," Bashoor said of the tree in the video.

The fire department simulated what would happen if an electrical short occurred on an under-watered tree during a demonstration Tuesday afternoon. The demonstration took place outside, and during the height of the blaze, flames reached at least a dozen feet high. 

"This is no joke, folks," Bashoor said.

The demonstration was in a open field, where there was nothing else nearby to catch fire. That would not be the case with a Christmas tree inside a home, Bashoor noted.

"Remember when I talked about being next to a couch, being next to a stairwell. Just think about now, the stairwell—this fire is going up the stairwell and up into the bedrooms upstairs," Bashoor said, as the fire raged.

"By now, people don't even have a chance," he added, saying even the smoke alarm would have trouble warning of a fire that ignited that quickly.

There are ways to reduce the risk of a Christmas tree fire in your home. 

A dry tree will ignite much more quickly than a properly watered tree, but the danger is still there, PGPD PIO Mark Brady said.

When most trees leave a Christmas tree farm, Bashoor said, the cut stumps are coated in wax, to keep the moisture inside the tree. But this wax also prevents water from getting into the tree once people set them up in their stands. Bashoor recommends cutting the bottom two inches off any trees purchased from lots. 

Bashoor also encourages people to get rid of any old, frayed lights. Lights that do not light up when first plugged in, or short out, should be discarded. LED lights do not burn as hot as traditional incandescent lights and may further reduce the risk of fire. 

Fake Christmas trees are also less likely to catch fire because they are treated with flame retardant materials.

If your tree does catch fire, get out of the house as quickly as possible and call 911. 

Christmas tree fires are relatively rare in Prince George's County. Brady says the PGFD deals with about one Christmas tree fire per season, and that those usually happen well after the holiday, when people have stopped caring for the trees properly but have not disposed of them.