Christmas Tree Fire Safety Tips

12/17/2020 (Permalink)

It’s the most beautiful time of the year...Christmas season! Many families and individuals who celebrate Christmas often decorate and display a Christmas tree to lift their spirits and spread holiday cheer. However, Christmas trees can pose serious fire hazards if they aren’t properly set up and necessary fire safety precautions aren’t taken. 

Rest assured that you’ve taken important fire safety precautions with your Christmas tree this year by taking these four tips into account. 

1) Choose a fresh tree.

The more vibrant green, sappy, and perky your tree looks, the fresher it is! Fresh trees are much less susceptible to fire and are less dry, which is one of the most common reasons why Christmas trees can catch fire (when they’re too dry). A fresh tree also shouldn’t have needles that are already easily shedding or that break without much effort. Keep your fresh tree in water 24/7 and replenish its water supply daily.

2) Place your tree far away from heat sources.

Your tree doesn’t need any heat. Period. If you have a fireplace, a radiator, a space heater, a lamp, or any other heat sources close to your tree, you should move your tree (or your heat source, if possible). Candles and heat vents should also not be anywhere close to your tree to minimize their chances of becoming a fire hazard.

3) Turn the lights off overnight.

Your tree lights emit a little bit of heat, and they don’t need to be on all night. They likely don’t even need to be on all day if you’re not at home! Make it a habit to unplug the tree lights every night and any time you’re not in the same room as your tree or you’re gone for extended periods.

4) Don’t choke the light cords. 

Instead of choking your tree with lights, it’s much safer to attach only three strings of lights to any extension cord as a general rule of thumb. The fewer conduits between the cords, the better. You should also never run your tree lights’ cords under your carpet or any rugs, and it’s wise to keep them along the wall to prevent people from tripping over them. Always make sure your light cords aren’t frayed or otherwise damaged, as well. 

5) Never use electric lights with an artificial tree.

Electric lights on a metal tree is a prime recipe for disaster and potential electrocution. Never use electric lights with an artificial tree to avoid this situation. Charging the tree with electric lights is a disaster waiting to happen.

These 5 tips are only a handful of best practices for Christmas tree fire safety, but we hope you’ll consider them when preparing your tree for the holiday season. Here at SERVPRO of Belle Meade/West Nashville, we hope you’ll enjoy the holidays to the full! Don’t hesitate to give us a call at (615) 242-9391 to deal with any fire damage, water damage, or mold that comes your way. We desire to keep you safe, happy, and healthy over the holiday season!