VIDEO: North Metro Fire invited FOX31 out to its training facility Wednesday to do a demonstration showing just how fast live pine needle Christmas Trees can go up in flames.
The crew there brought two live trees to burn. One of the trees had been watered and taken care of, while the other had been purposely dried out. โPine trees inside can start on fire really fast and get really big,โ said Katie Converse, North Metro Fire public information officer. โThese trees have been with us for two weeks. One has been dry and itโs really dry and the needles are falling off and the other is pretty wet.โ
The FOX31 crew watched as both trees burned. The tree that had been watered burned slower than the dry tree. The heat of both burning trees was very strong. โIf you have a heat source or an open flame near a Christmas tree it can be devastating,โ Converse said, adding its important not to have candles, fireplaces or any open flame near your tree. She said itโs also important to use new cool running lights to decorate and not have any exposed wires.
If you find yourself in a situation with a tree fire she said to use a fire extinguisher, call 911 and get out of your house. โIf your Christmas tree is under a heating vent itโll dry out quicker,โ Converse said. โIf you notice your Christmas tree is dry or you realize youโve forgotten to water it, just fill your stand back up and itโll soak up that water and be a little safer.โ
North Metro Fire stated itโs important once the holidays are over to take down and dispose of your tree right away to prevent any further fire risks in your home.
