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Christmas Tree Fires

By
Industry Observer with Retired

Christmas Tree Fires


A Christmas tree fire can destroy a room in less than a minute. The following alert was distributed by the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service in Montgomery County, Maryland.

When selecting a tree for the Holiday, needles on fresh trees should be green and hard to pull back from the branches, and the needle should not break if the tree has been freshly cut. The trunk should be sticky to the touch. Old trees can be identified by bouncing the tree trunk on the ground. If many needles fall off, the tree has been cut too long, has probably dried out, and is a fire hazard. A safer option is to buy a fire-resistant artificial tree.

Use a wide-based stand to make sure the tree is secure and will not fall over. Keep your tree in a container full of water, and check it daily.

Keep the tree away from heat sources such as fireplaces, radiators and heating vents. Decorate your tree with children in mind. Do not put ornaments that are breakable, have small detachable parts, metal hooks or look like food or candy on the lower branches where small children can reach them. Make sure tree lights are hung out of reach of young children. Also, cut back the lower branches to avoid eye injuries to small children.

Decorate your tree using only UL (Underwriters' Lab Inc.) approved lights and cords. Inspect lights for exposed or frayed wires, loose connections or broken sockets. Do not overload extension cords. Use no more than three strings of lights on one extension cord, and never run an electrical cord under a carpet. Be sure to secure electrical cords so that children cannot pull them and topple the tree.

Turn off the tree lights when you go to bed, depart from home or leave the tree in an unattended room.

Never burn Christmas tree branches, treated wood or wrapping paper in your fireplace. Dispose of your tree promptly after the holidays.

 

Dahlia, Kentlands Photowalk, Photograph by Roy Kelley, Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs

Dahlia, Kentlands Photowalk, Gaithersburg, Maryland USA IMG 6084
Photograph by Roy Kelley 
Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs

Posted by

Roy Kelley, Retired, Former Associate Broker, RE/MAX Realty Group

Gaithersburg, Maryland  

Comments (45)

Anita Clark
Coldwell Banker Access Realty ~ 478.960.8055 - Warner Robins, GA
Realtor - Homes for Sale in Warner Robins GA

Roy: Thanks for the excellent tips about things to be mindful to avoid a Christmas tree fire.

Dec 13, 2015 08:48 PM
Chris Lima
Turtle Reef Realty - Port St Lucie, FL
Local or Global-Allow me to open doors for you.

Great tips, Roy.  This time of year is busy and joyous and people do tend to forget about safety.

Dec 13, 2015 09:26 PM
Nicole Doty - Gilbert Real Estate Expert
Zion Realty - Gilbert, AZ
Broker/Owner of Zion Realty ZionRealtyAZ.com

Every year the warnings go out and every year there will be some individuals who ignore those warnings only to suffer the consequences. 

Dec 13, 2015 10:32 PM
Bruce Kunz
C21 Solid Gold Realty, Brick, NJ, 732-920-2100 - Howell, NJ
REALTOR®, Brick & Howell NJ Homes for Sale

Great advice, Roy Kelley . Hopefully more and more people will understand the risk of a live tree and that there are much safer (and likely even more convenient) alternatives available.
Enjoy your Holidays!Bruce

 

Dec 13, 2015 10:50 PM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Roy, so timely, and we sadly hear about house fires being caused by the Christmas tree.  Great tips.

Dec 13, 2015 10:53 PM
Dr. Paula McDonald
Beam & Branch Realty - Granbury, TX
Granbury, TX 936-203-0279

Such great and timely advice for all Roy.  These are such tragedies when they happen.

Dec 14, 2015 01:05 AM
Rene Fabre
ARFCO Media - Renton, WA
Practicing Philosophical Eclectic of the Arts

Hi Roy Kelley ... Never enough reminders of this, especially when kids and pets are in the house! Love the Dahlia photo, very nice!

Dec 14, 2015 01:32 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Thanks, again, for your comments. Take great care if you use a real Christmas tree in your home or office.

Dec 14, 2015 02:49 AM
David Alan Baker | Laveen & South Phoenix Realtor
Keller Williams Realty Phoenix - Laveen, AZ
Your local Expert

not sure I've ever really thought of it like that, a potential hazard.

Dec 14, 2015 07:43 AM
Bob Crane
Woodland Management Service / Woodland Real Estate, KW Diversified - Stevens Point, WI
Forestland Experts! 715-204-9671

Important information here Roy!  It may save a life.

Thanks for sharing it and I will too.

Dec 14, 2015 02:22 PM
Roy Kelley

Bob Crane 


Thank you very much for the reblog!

Dec 14, 2015 09:10 PM
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Andover, MA
Andover, MA: Andover Luxury Homes For Sale

Roy Kelley this is so important - and perhaps one of the reasons why artificial tree can be a bit better (though there are fire hazard there too.)

Dec 14, 2015 03:26 PM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

It is always good to hear from you. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Dec 14, 2015 09:11 PM
Steve Higgins
RE/MAX Kelowna - Kelowna, BC

Hi Roy,

Great post for this time of the year! We have a artificial tree.  Have a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year!

Dec 16, 2015 11:02 AM
Lottie Kendall
Compass - San Francisco, CA
Helping make your real estate dreams a reality

It's amazing just how fast a tree burns, and quite frightening. Good warning to share with others.

Dec 18, 2015 12:47 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Roy - this information needs to be repeated each year. Real trees are great but precautions must be taken.

Dec 18, 2015 12:51 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Thanks, again, for your comments and for your continued support.

Dec 18, 2015 02:25 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Have a great weekend. Dolores and I had a busy Saturday with a day trip to Westminster, Maryland.

Dec 10, 2016 06:26 PM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

I used this blog content for a new 2016 blog to be posted in December.

Dec 10, 2016 06:26 PM
Jane Chaulklin-Schott
TEAMCONNECT REALTY - (407) 394-9766 - Orlando, FL
TeamConnect Luxury Homes - Orlando, Florida, 32836

Perfect timing for this information, Roy. Have a wonderful week, my friend.

Dec 12, 2016 09:20 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Make it a habit to post a daily reblog. It is an easy way to pay it forward.

Dec 05, 2020 07:13 AM