NJ 'Elf On A Shelf' Sparks Fire Response After Poor Placement

FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, NJ — One Elf On The Shelf caused more trouble than Santa was probably expecting this weekend, when he forced the fire department to respond to one New Jersey family's home after burning his butt.

The Quakertown Fire Company were called to a Franklin Township (Hunterdon) home Sunday night after the family smelled something burning in their home. The cause? The family's Elf On A Shelf.

The elf had been placed on a light in the family room, and heat from the light caused the elf's bottom to burn and start to smoke. It took firefighters about 15 minutes to deal with the elf, and no children saw what happened, firefighters said.

"Premature Christmas decorating contributed to this incident," fire officials said.

This family might have gotten a jump start on their decorating, but with Thanksgiving coming up quickly, more families are getting ready to break out their elves for the season.

Poor elf placement has been a concern of fire departments around the country since the Christmas tradition began to take hold. The Elf On The Shelf is a small felt doll sent by Santa to watch over children in the days leading up to Christmas. Adults usually move the elf nightly, and some try to get particularly creative with it.

That's fine, fire departments have said, but keep your elf away from the heat. A spokesperson for Elf On The Shelf agrees, saying in a statement sent to HuffPost, “Santa’s official Scout Elves believe in safety. They avoid getting hurt by keeping a safe distance from the glimmering lights on the Christmas tree, open flames and other sources of heat. If you notice a Scout Elf has landed too close to a flame or light, just let him know so he can fly to a new spot.”

Image via Quakertown NJ Fire Company-91 Fire/Rescue