As holiday wraps up, trees still a safety issue

Whether it's a real or artificial Christmas tree, experts say it's best to practice safety to avoid a potential fire hazard during the holiday season.

According to the Christmas Tree Association, Christmas trees alone result in $13 million annually in property damage. More importantly, these fires present real risk toward family and friends. When showcasing a live tree in the home, the combination of tree dryness, electrical malfunction with lights and poorly located heating sources can make for a deadly combination.

Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou said while Christmas tree fires are rare locally, "they can happen." He said a more common problem firefighters deal with are issues related to Christmas lights.

"It's been awhile since we've had a fire started with a Christmas tree," he said. "We've had some overheated (lighting), a breaker or blown fuse in an older home, we still have that occasionally. We have more problems with lighting that the actual Christmas tree."

Ballou offered some advice for people who put the symbol of Christmas up in their home, whether it be a real or artificial tree.

"What's more critical with a real tree is making sure it doesn't die," Ballou said. "Make sure it keeps fresh. It can be a very dangerous fire hazard if they get so dry. They can be very dangerous."

Ballou recommends not placing any type of tree near an open heat source and to "make sure all the wiring (for lights) is all good," especially for people with animals in the house that may be chewing on electrical lines. People with artificial trees should always make sure the tree is "working properly" and Christmas lights should be inspected every year.

"If they install lighting that's not built into the artificial tree, those need to be inspected every year to make sure they're all working," Ballou said.

Ballou said there is a mixture of both types of trees used in local homes.

"These days, artificial trees are more real and lifelike," he said. "They have built-in lights; they don't have to string lights on anymore. But there are still families out there who still do traditional real trees. They like the smell the tree puts off in the house. There's a possible fire danger with both."

For a live Christmas tree, the Christmas Tree Association recommends the following safety precautions:

* Always place the tree away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents or lights and keep the tree base filled with water to avoid a dry out.

* Make sure all indoor and outdoor Christmas lights have been tested in a lab by the UL or ETL/ITSNA for safety and throw out any damaged lights.

* Any lights used outdoors must be labeled suitable for exterior placement and be sure to plug into a ground-fault circuit interrupter protected receptacle.

* Keep all holiday candles away from Christmas trees, surrounding furniture and decor.

* Bedtime means lights off, don't forget to turn the Christmas tree light switch each night.

When a live tree begins to drop its needles, it's time to say goodbye to the evergreen foliage until next year, according to the Christmas Tree Association.

Each year, fires occurring during the holiday season injure 2,600 individuals and cause more than $930 million in damage, according to the United States Fire Administration.

Electrical failures or malfunctions were involved in nearly half of the fires, while nearly a quarter occurred because a heat source was located too close to the tree. Decorative lights with live voltage were involved in more than 20 percent of the instances. Electrical malfunctions can also ignite artificial trees and homeowners should take the same precautions in terms of tree placement and decorations as they would with a real tree, according to the Christmas Tree Association.

According to the NFPA, even a well-watered tree should be taken down after four weeks. If a real tree was decorated right after Thanksgiving, it should be discarded the week after Christmas, not New Year's Day.