Health and Safety for Workers, Students, and Families

Christmas tree fire safety: Preventing holiday hazards

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Nothing brightens the Christmas holidays more than a beautifully decked-out tree. But without proper precautions, Christmas trees and lights can pose real fire hazards to homes, offices, and schools. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, there are hundreds of Christmas tree fires every year, resulting in deaths, injuries, and millions of dollars in property damage. Shorts in electrical lights or flames from candles, lighters, or matches start most tree fires.

Home fires caused by Christmas trees are relatively rare compared to home fires started in other ways, says the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), but they are more often deadly. For every nine home fires that begin with a Christmas tree, says the NFPA, one person dies—compared to one death in every 75 home fires unrelated to Christmas trees.

Here are a few fire safety tips to ensure a merry, healthy, and safe Christmas for your family, friends, co-workers, schoolmates.

Get a fresh tree

When choosing a tree, make sure it’s not dry. Bounce the tree trunk on the ground; a fresh tree will keep its needles. Test a tree’s freshness by bending a few needles, says the Live Safe Foundation. The needles should bend easily and not snap in half. Fresh needles are also not easily pulled from the branch. The trunk of a fresh tree is sticky to the touch from resin. Ask the tree seller to cut off a couple of inches from the bottom the trunk for optimal water uptake.

Keep the tree hydrated

Secure the tree in a stable base with a water capacity of at least 1 gallon. Replenish the water every day. Well-watered trees are not a fire hazard, says the U.S. Fire Administration. Dry, neglected trees, though, can be fire starters. A short fire-hazard video from the Building and Fire Research Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shows how quickly fire spreads when a dry tree is ignited.

Place the tree in a safe location

Keep the tree at least 3 feet away from heat vents, space heaters, radiators, baseboard heating, and fireplaces. Avoid room corners—fires that start in corners get hot quickly and spread faster than those near a flat wall. Also, the tree should never block exits from the room.

Avoid electrical mishaps

Nearly half of Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical malfunction, says the NFPA. Don't overload outlets. Connect no more than three strands of lights to a single extension cord. Don't run extension cords under rugs, across doorways, or near heaters. If possible, use a surge protector. Use only UL-listed lights designed for indoor use; inspect each strand for frays or exposed wiring. Trying to repair damaged strings isn't worth the risk—just retire or recycle them. Keep lights and cords away from the water in the tree stand, and from flammable materials like curtains. Unplug lights before leaving the house or going to bed.

A few more safety tips

• Never use decorate your tree with candles.
• Try your best to keep small children and pets away from the tree. Consider putting up a fence or child gate.
• Test the tree needles regularly. As long as they remain flexible when bent, the tree is likely safe.
• Don't burn dry trees, tree parts, or wrapping paper in your fireplace. They might suddenly ignite, causing a flash fire that your fireplace can't contain.