Christmas Tree Safety: Don't Let Your Holiday Turn Tragic

Northern Virginians will be out in force this weekend shopping for and decorating their Christmas trees. U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 210 home1 structure fires per year that began with Christmas trees in 2010-2014, according to the National Fire Protection Association. These fires caused an annual average of six civilian deaths, 16 civilian injuries, and $16.2 million in direct property damage.

Be sure that the holiday season doesn't turn tragic at your home. Fairfax County Fire & Rescue offers these tips to keep your holidays safe:

Christmas Tree Safety Tips

• Keep tree base immersed in water.
• Do not permit smoking near the tree.
• Use only lights that are Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approved.
• Use flame retardant decorations and paper.
• Inspect lights for frayed or cracked wiring, broken plugs, and check for defective sockets.
• Unplug lights at night and when leaving the home.
• Remove the tree soon after the holidays–before the needles dry out.

If you would like a printable copy of our "Fire Safety and Your Tree" tag, please go to the Fairfax County Web site.

In the video below, a live Christmas tree burn conducted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission shows just how quickly a dried out Christmas tree fire burns, with flashover occurring in less than one minute, as compared to a well-watered tree, which burns at a much slower rate:

PHOTO of burning Christmas tree from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission video, via YouTube