Be fire safe as you prepare and decorate your Christmas tree for the holidays

If you’re getting a real tree this year, make sure to choose a fresh one. The needles should be green and shouldn’t fall off when you touch them.

Placing the tree: Cut two inches from the bottom of the trunk off so your tree can absorb water more easily. Add water to the tree stand and add more water daily. Maintain three feet of clearance around your tree from any heat source like fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents, or lights. Make sure the tree isn’t blocking any exits.

One of every three home Christmas tree fires are caused by electrical failures. Christmas tree fires are not common but when they do occur they are more likely to be serious. A heat source too close to the tree causes roughly one in every six of these fires.

Lighting the tree: Use lights that have an Underwriters Laboratory label or other approved testing laboratory. Make sure your lights are listed for your use. Some lights are for indoors only and some for outdoors. Check your lights and replace worn or broken cords or loose bulb connections. Read manufacturer’s instructions for number of strands to connect and don’t over task your outlets. Never decorate your tree with lit candles. Always turn off Christmas or Holiday lights before leaving home or going to bed.

This video showing a test conducted by the National Fire Protection Association and Underwriters Laboratories shows how flammable a dry Christmas tree can be:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNjO3wZDVlA.