The Glendale Fire Department held an event on Wednesday at its training center, where firefighters demonstrated the dangers associated with Christmas trees by setting two trees on fire in a controlled setting.
Fire personnel also provided safety tips to help keep people’s homes safe this holiday season.
“Festive celebrations, flickering lights and winter greens are all hallmarks of the holiday season, but they can all present some extreme fire risks that can quickly turn this festive time of the year into a devastating one,” acting Fire Chief Greg Fish said. “Within 30 seconds, a tree fire can spread to the ceiling, reducing furniture, toys and presents to ashes.”
The first demonstration took place inside a mock living room in one of the training structures at the center and showed how an electrical short can ignite a dry tree and how rapidly a tree burns and takes down surrounding objects. The room even showed wrapped presents and furniture catching fire within minutes of the tree’s ignition.
Jeremy Frazier, a captain assigned to GFD’s community safety division, emphasized that even though the effects of the simulated fire were apparent, the damage in a real home would be even more catastrophic as the fire would likely spread to adjoining rooms, taking down an entire home.
Because of the rapid rate at which tree fires spread, the fire department urges anyone who experiences this in their home to get everyone out of the house immediately and call 911, adding that people should not attempt to put the fire out because even a home fire extinguisher cannot take this kind of fire on.
Gabriel Reza, a senior inspector with GFD, noted that more than one-third of Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical problems such as an overloaded circuit. Additionally, placing a tree too close to a heater or burning candles near a tree are risk factors, especially for a tree that has not been properly watered.
“Preventing this [type of] fire can be as simple as regularly watering your Christmas tree and keeping it away from a heating source,” Reza said. “Having your tree professionally sprayed with fire resistant blocking is also highly recommended.”
He also advised people to promptly replace any types of damaged lights such as broken strings of lights or loose bolts and to remember to never use live open flame candles to decorate a Christmas tree.
The second tree fire demonstration showed the result of an open flame igniting a tree that had not been watered in two weeks.
For a tree to properly absorb water, Frazier emphasized the importance of getting a fresh cut on the trunk. The longer a tree is up, the less it is able to take in water which eventually leads to the tree drying out.
“As soon as you’re done celebrating your holiday, that’s the time to get rid of your tree, because having a dry tree in your house, like we’ve seen today, is extremely dangerous and very volatile,” Frazier said.
First published in the December 16 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
