A Christmas tree in the living room for three weeks is the most flammable thing you will ever bring indoors. Kept watered and placed properly it is harmless. Dried out and standing next to the radiator, it goes up fast. These are the checks that keep the tree a decoration. How long has your tree been indoors, and when did you last water it?
Buy a tree that is still alive
Look for green, flexible needles that do not drop when you touch them. A tree that sheds in the lot will be bone dry by the second week of December, and dry is what burns. Ask when it was cut.
Water it every day
A hydrated tree resists fire; a dry one does not. Use a stand with a real reservoir and check the water level daily, because a tree drinks more than people expect in a warm room. Water also keeps the needles on the branch instead of on your floor.
Place it three feet from heat
Keep the tree at least three feet from fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, heat vents and anything else that throws heat. Keep it out of high-traffic paths so nobody knocks it over, and away from doorways so it never blocks an exit. Never put a candle anywhere near it, including the window behind it.
Lights and decorations
Use only lights rated for indoor use. Before you wind them on, inspect the wiring for cracks or bare spots and replace any strand with damaged wire or blown bulbs. Turn the lights off when you leave the house or go to bed. Flame-resistant decorations are worth the few dollars more for exactly this room.
Have a way out
Everyone in the house should know the exit routes and where you are meeting outside. Walk it once with the kids so it is not learned in a hurry later. A working smoke alarm on that floor is the part people skip and the part that matters most.
If the worst happens
Fire restoration for Connecticut homes is our work: securing the property, stopping the damage where it is, recovering what can be salvaged and rebuilding to pre-loss condition. Call the 24/7 emergency line on 877-576-2484 and we will take it from the first call.
Have a safe Christmas.
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 home safety.