Preventing Christmas Tree, Other Holiday Fires In Plainfield

PLAINFIELD, IL — As Plainfield residents near the end of 2020, many are turning to real Christmas trees to find a glimmer of joy while celebrating the holiday season amid the pandemic.

According to a survey by the Christmas Tree Promotion Board, consumers nationwide are more likely to appreciate "simple pleasures" and focus on creating new traditions this year. Among these new traditions are real Christmas trees — 39 percent say they're more likely to buy a real Christmas tree this year because of the pandemic.

But if you don’t take the necessary precautions, your real Christmas tree — as well as your family’s memories — could go up in flames.

To ensure safety, the Plainfield Fire Department is participating in the holiday fire safety awareness program "Keep the Wreath Red" with holiday wreaths decorated with red lights at each of the four fire stations.

The purpose of the program is to raise awareness of fire safety during the holiday season. If there’s a fire caused by a holiday decoration a red light will be replaced with a white light. The goal is to prevent holiday decoration related fires in order to keep the wreaths red.

Between 2014 and 2018, the most recent data available through the National Fire Protection Association, U.S. fire departments responded to an average 160 Christmas tree fires each year. These fires caused two deaths, more than a dozen injuries and more than $10 million in direct property damage.

At least 25 million real Christmas trees are sold annually, the National Christmas Tree Association says. Many people who opt for a real tree will either cut it down themselves or buy it pre-cut at a lot. This requires extra care to keep the trees from drying out and becoming fuel for a deadly house fire.

And it takes very little time for a fire to become deadly.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission conducted a live Christmas tree burn to demonstrate how quickly Christmas tree fires ignite when needles become brittle due to under-watering.

Trees can become fully engulfed in a matter of seconds, then ignite everything in the path of the flames. By comparison, an electrical fire sparked for a demonstration on a well-watered tree didn’t spread at all.

Here are a few other quick facts about Christmas tree fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association:

• Electrical or lighting equipment was responsible for nearly half of all Christmas tree fires.
• More than one-fifth of the Christmas tree fires happened because the tree was too close to a heat source.
• 15 percent of Christmas tree fires were intentional.
• More than two out of every five Christmas tree fires started in the living room.

You can prevent Christmas tree fires by taking a few extra safety precautions recommended by the Plainfield Fire Department.

• When buying a fresh cut Christmas tree check to make sure the needles do not fall off when touched.
• Cut two inches from the base of the trunk before placing the tree in the stand.
• Locate your Christmas tree, so it is at least three feet away from heat sources and is not blocking an exit.
• Make sure to add water to the stand daily to keep the Christmas tree fresh. A dry Christmas tree is a fire hazard.
• Remove the Christmas tree from your home as soon as it begins to show signs of drying out.
• Place the dry tree outside and away from your home, garage or other structures while waiting for disposal.

The most common holiday decoration-related fire is from candles being placed too close to things that can burn. Keep candles at least 12 inches away from anything that can burn. Put candles in sturdy candleholders that won’t tip over. Always blow out candles before leaving a room or going to bed. Don’t leave a child or a pet alone in a room with a burning candle and never light a candle if oxygen is used in your home. Flameless candles are a good alternative if you would rather not have an open flame candle in your home.

Other safety measures suggested by the Plainfield Fire Protection District are:

• Check that holiday lights and other electric powered decorations are listed by a qualified testing laboratory for safety.
• Don’t use any light strings with worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for the maximum number of light strings to connect so electrical outlets are not overloaded.
• Only use outdoor rated decorations and extension cords outdoors.
• Use clips, not nails, to hang lights so cords don’t get damaged. Turn off decorations before leaving your home or going to bed.

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