Fireproof Your Holidays

Each year during December and early January, more than 500 deaths and 2000 injuries are caused by holiday-related fires.

Holiday fire hazards

From decorative lights to Christmas trees to menorahs, fire hazards abound during the holiday season. First, make sure you have smoke detectors installed on every level of your home and test them regularly. Then follow these tips to avoid disaster:

Lights

• Inspect holiday lights for frayed wires, bare spots and cracks.
• Don't link more than three strings of lights together.
• Periodically check wires to make sure they don't feel warm.
• Turn off lights when leaving the house or going to bed.
• Use only Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approved lights.

Decorations

• Use only flame-retardant decorations.
• Place decorations away from heating vents.

Candles

• Make sure candles are in stable holders.
• Never place candles near a Christmas tree.
• Make sure there is at least a one-foot "circle of safety" around candles.
• Never leave children or pets alone with a lit candle.
• Keep candles from flammable items like curtains and bedding.
• Never leave candles unattended.
• Make sure candles are extinguished before you go to bed or leave the house.

Fireplaces

• Remove decorations, greens and papers from the area before lighting a fire.
• Never throw wrapping paper into a fire. It can throw off dangerous sparks, produce a chemical buildup and cause a flash fire.

Christmas trees

A dried-out Christmas tree is the number one holiday fire hazard.

To illustrate this point, engineers from the National Institute of Fire and Technology set a Scotch pine ablaze. Within five seconds, the tree was engulfed in flames and poisonous smoke reached across the ceiling. Furniture and carpeting ignited before the flames even reached them.

Within 40 seconds, a "flashover" had occurred, meaning oxygen was depleted and deadly smoke had filled the area, causing the room to erupt into flames.

The same engineers cut 2 inches from the trunk of another Scotch pine and placed it in a tree stand, watering it daily. They found that a lit match did not ignite the tree. In a second attempt, an entire matchbook did not ignite the tree. Finally, they used a propane torch to apply an open flame. The branches ignited briefly, but went out when the torch was removed.

Remember the following:

• Dried-out trees can ignite easily. Select a tree with green needles that are difficult to pull off. If the tree is freshly cut, needles shouldn't break. The trunk of the tree should feel sticky. Bounce the trunk on the ground. If any needles fall off, consider it a fire hazard.

• When you get your tree home, cut a few inches off the trunk before placing it in water. Fresh wood absorbs water more easily.

• Keep the tree away from radiators and portable heaters. Never place it near a fireplace. Don't smoke near the tree and keep flames and sparks away.

• Keep the tree stand filled. Trees "drink" from 2 pints to 1 gallon of water per day. If the water level drops below the trunk, a seal forms and the tree is no longer able to absorb water.

• Take your tree down after a few weeks. Dispose of your tree as per instructions for refuse removal in your community. Don't burn tree branches in a fireplace or wood-burning stove. A burning tree can fill a room with harmful gases.

Related Articles Holiday Safety Tips What is a Safe Toy? Keeping a Safe Eye on Dangerous Toys

External Sources American Academy of Pediatrics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Federal Emergency Management Agency - U.S. Fire Administration Building and Fire Research Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology New York City Fire Department

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.

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