From Waterbury to New Haven to Hartford, families are out at the tree farms and back home with the house full of lights. Christmas tree fires cause millions in property damage every year, and Connecticut's cold, dry indoors is exactly the condition that lets a neglected tree turn into a hazard. Five checks cover it. Where is your tree this year, and what is standing next to it?
1. Buy a tree that is still full of water
Bright green needles that do not come off easily, and a tree that feels heavy in your hands: dry trees lose moisture and go light. Ask the grower when it was cut, whether it came from a farm near Waterbury, South Windsor, Bethlehem or Shelton. Fresh trees dry out far more slowly.
2. Water it every day
A dry tree can ignite in seconds, so keep the stand filled with fresh water every day, and never let the tree go more than a few hours without water once it is indoors. Stand it away from radiators, fireplaces and heat vents. Connecticut fire departments respond to dozens of preventable tree fires each year, and most of them are dry trees.
3. Check the lights before you switch them on
Replace any string with frayed cords, broken bulbs or loose connections. Use UL-listed lights designed for indoor trees. Do not overload outlets; use power strips with surge protection. Unplug the lights before leaving the house or going to bed.
4. Keep the tree away from fire
Space heaters, candles and fireplaces are all in use over a Connecticut snow week. The tree sits at least three feet from any heat source, candles stay off the branches and decorations, and flameless candles give you the glow with none of the risk.
5. Take it down when the season ends
Do not leave a dry tree in the house, in the garage or leaning against the home. A dry tree can ignite faster than newspaper, even weeks after Christmas. Most Connecticut towns, Waterbury, New Haven, Southbury and Cheshire among them, run tree recycling or curbside pickup, so it goes out the same day you are done with it.
If a holiday fire happens
Fire damage, smoke damage, the water that firefighting left behind, mold afterwards, or an asbestos concern in an older house: JP Maguire handles all of it, 24 hours a day from 266 Brookside Rd, Waterbury, serving Waterbury, New Haven, Hartford, Bristol, West Hartford, Cheshire, Southington and beyond. Call 877-576-2484.
Where to go from here
If this is happening in your house right now, these are the pages Connecticut homeowners reach for, each one saying what the work involves and how to get a crew rolling: water damage restoration. Water extraction, drying, then the rebuild. fire damage restoration. Soot, smoke odour, and putting the rooms back. mold remediation. Finding it, containing it, and removing it properly. storm damage restoration. Wind damage, fallen trees, emergency tarping. burst pipe repair. Stopping the leak, then repairing what it reached. 24/7 emergency restoration. A person on the phone, any hour of the night.
Also from the blog: More on holiday safety tips.