About 33% of U.S. home fires involving Christmas trees occur in January. With this post-holiday fire hazard in mind, the National Fire Protection Association strongly encourages everyone to remove the hazards by disposing of Christmas trees promptly after the holiday season.
“As much as we all enjoy the look and feel of Christmas trees in our homes, they’re large combustible items that have the potential to result in serious fires,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy. “The longer Christmas trees remain in homes, the longer they present a risk.”
Carli notes that fresh Christmas trees continue to dry out and become more flammable over time.
According to the latest Christmas Tree Fires report from NFPA, 160 home structure fires began with Christmas trees, resulting in two civilian deaths, 11 civilian injuries, and $12 million in direct property damage, on average each year between 2016 and 2020.
To safely dispose of a Christmas tree, NFPA recommends using the local community’s recycling program, if possible. NFPA also offers these tips for safely removing lighting and decorations to ensure that they remain in good condition:
Use the gripping area on the plug when unplugging electrical decorations. Never pull the cord to unplug any device as this can increasing the risk for shock or electrical fire.
Inspect each line for damage, throwing out any sets that have loose connections, broken sockets or cracked or bare wires.
Put each set of lights in individual plastic bags or wrap them around a piece of cardboard.
Store electrical decorations in a dry place away from children and pets where they will not be damaged by water or dampness.
For more info visit nfpa.org.
