The holidays are coming. In Del Mar, people are putting up trees in their homes and decorating them with ornaments, lights and tinsel. But the coming fun has another side to it, and that side is fire safety. Below is how to choose lights, set up a tree and decorate it so the holidays do not turn into a tragedy.
Every year thousands of families put up a tree and hang lights on it to make the house feel cozy and festive. Yet this is exactly the period when the number of household fires and accidents goes up, and many of them are connected with the wrong use of electrical devices and with ignoring basic safety rules. The reminder is simple: holiday decor needs no less attention than any other appliance in the house.
The holidays can be a time of joy and fun, but they can also bring a lot of stress, and in the worst case end in tragedy. The number of home fires tends to go up during the winter holidays, and one common cause is careless handling of open flame. A Christmas tree fire is one of the typical cases.
How a Christmas Tree Fire Usually Starts
A tree most often catches fire in one of two ways. With incandescent light strings, the risk comes from the bulb itself, when the red-hot filament can get onto the needles. In the case of a short circuit (with both incandescent and LED strings) the conditions are the same. It can happen that the string shorts out but the wire does not burn through right away, and then there is a risk that the tree catches fire. If the wire burns through at once, the risk is lower.
Any tree can burn, but it is not easy to make it flare up. It all starts with a small area, and only then does the fire gradually spread. If the tree is made of self-extinguishing materials, the flame will most likely simply die out when nothing else is feeding it.
Choosing the Tree
When choosing a live tree, it is important to remember that a tree cut long ago and already dried out is a serious fire hazard. A dry Christmas tree fire develops much faster than one in a fresh tree.
If you prefer an artificial tree, it is better to buy one that is labeled as fire resistant. When choosing an artificial tree, it is important to make sure it is made of fire-resistant materials that do not support burning and slow the spread of fire in an emergency.
Treating an artificial tree with some kind of liquid to lower the fire hazard does little. A Christmas tree fire retardant spray of this sort may only leave an unpleasant smell.
Watering a Live Tree Every Day
A damp tree burns worse. This is why a live tree should go into a stand that holds water, topped up every day. Ask the tree lot for a fresh cut at the base of the trunk so the tree can take up water. Remember: artificial trees made of flammable materials burn instantly.
And keep a fire extinguisher at home. Make sure everyone at home knows where it is.
Keeping the Tree Away from Heat
The main rule is that the tree must be stable. Put it on a reliable, steady stand. Even a small shift can lead to damaged light strings, a short circuit or injuries, especially if there are children or pets in the house.
- No heaters nearby. Do not set the tree up next to heating appliances, radiators or baseboard heaters, or near a fireplace or stove.
- A safe distance. Keep the tree at least 3 feet from any heat source: a fireplace, a space heater, a heat vent or candles.
- Clear of walls and ceiling. The top of the tree should not touch the ceiling, and the branches should not press against walls or household things.
- Clear of exits. The tree should not block the way through and should not get in the way of leaving the room.
It is strongly not recommended to place open flame near the tree, whether candles, sparklers or other decorative items with a flame. Even brief contact can make the needles or the artificial branches catch fire instantly.
Checking the Light Strings
Christmas lights as a fire hazard deserve special attention. Before you plug a string in, check that the wires are intact, that there are no bare sections and that the insulation is not damaged. Using faulty electrical decorations significantly raises the risk of overheating and fire. It is also recommended to plug strings only into working outlets and not to use damaged or makeshift extension cords.
A few simple rules for buying lights:
- Choose LED strings. Incandescent bulbs use more power. So there is a higher chance that, with overheated wiring or poor assembly, the device will fail, and that will cause a fire.
- Look for the mark of an independent testing laboratory on the box and on the tag of the cord, and buy only strings that carry it.
Before using the lights, check the wiring carefully, paying special attention to the insulation and to the joints between the wires. Use only fully working strings made at a factory. If you find a fault in a string, unplug it at once.
A simple check can help prevent a possible fire: if a bulb on the string looks scorched or discolored, or you notice a burning smell, unplug the string, because such a bulb can burst at the most unexpected moment. A faulty bulb will burn out and melt the wires.
Indoor vs. Outdoor Lights
The advice about LEDs is for strings used indoors. Outdoors, use only strings that are labeled for outdoor use.
Trees at home, both artificial and live, are better decorated with LED strings whose bulbs have closed caps.
Not Overloading the Outlets
It is just as important not to plug several devices into one outlet, since an overloaded circuit can lead to a short circuit and a fire. It is better not to connect more light strings end to end than the package allows, so as not to cause a short circuit from overheated wiring.
Do not let children plug in the lights on their own. Children should not be left unsupervised near outlets and light strings. Curiosity and one careless movement can have serious consequences, so adults should explain the rules ahead of time and, where possible, limit access to the potentially dangerous elements of the decor.
Lights Off at Night and When You Leave
One of the key rules remains turning the lights off at night and when leaving the house. Even modern LED decorations do not give a hundred percent guarantee of safety when they run for a long time without anyone watching. Before going to bed, switch off the lights on the tree.
Following these rules, simple as they seem, will at least keep the holidays from being spoiled. Many fires during this time happen because of faulty light strings that were left on without anyone watching.
Other Holiday Decorations
To lower the fire hazard, avoid holiday tinsel made of paper and plastic when you decorate the tree.
- Glass ornaments. It is better to buy ornaments made of glass. They cost more, but they are safer. They will not catch fire.
- Foil-based tinsel. If you decorate with tinsel strands, it is better to buy ones made from foil-based materials.
- No candles on the tree. Despite centuries of tradition, a tree must not be decorated with candles.
- No cotton or paper. Do not use cotton batting as fake snow around the tree, and do not use ornaments made of flammable materials such as paper and cotton.
- No sparklers or poppers next to a decorated tree.
The CPSC collects similar advice on its Consumer Product Safety Commission holiday safety page.
If the Tree Catches Fire
Even a small fire on a Christmas tree quickly grows into a big one. If the tree does catch fire, do not panic. If the flame is still very small and you can reach the plug safely, unplug the lights and use a fire extinguisher. Do not grab the burning tree with your hands, and do not try to tip it over. If the fire is not out within seconds, get everyone out of the house and call 911 from outside.
A burning tree can spread fire to the whole room in moments. If the flames are not out within seconds, get everyone out, close the door behind you and call 911 from outside.
After a Small Fire: Soot and Smoke Odor
Even when the flame was put out quickly, the burned smell stays. To deal with odors properly, you first need to figure out how long ago and from what they appeared. Covering an unpleasant smell with air fresheners is something you should not do at all; that only makes the problem worse. So first remove the cause, and only after that choose products to make the room smell pleasant.
- Air the room. Open the windows wide and leave them open as long as possible.
- Wash the textiles. Wash curtains and bedding in the machine, and clean upholstered furniture with a steamer if possible.
- Baking soda on carpets. Sprinkle the carpet and upholstered furniture with ordinary baking soda and leave it for 3 to 4 hours, then vacuum thoroughly.
- Ozone for stubborn smells. For a burned smell that stays after cleaning and airing, pros use ozone treatment of the air in an empty room, and sometimes it has to be done several times.
- Professional cleaning. For difficult cases, such as the smell of burning, the solution is professional upholstery cleaning or ozone treatment.
If water was used to put the tree out, the floor and the rug under it got wet as well, and that is a separate job; it is covered on our water damage restoration services page. When soot has settled on walls and ceilings, look at professional fire and smoke damage restoration. Furniture and belongings that took on smoke sometimes have to leave the house for cleaning; see pack-out services for smoke-damaged belongings and the guide on how restoration companies inventory your belongings.
Where to Read More
Other articles on fire, water and mold are collected in our restoration blog for homeowners. You can also read more about our restoration company, see reviews from local Del Mar homeowners, or go back to our restoration company home page.