Christmas tree fires: Know the risks and how to celebrate safely – National | 24CA News
‘Tis the season for Christmas timber.
As Canadians have a good time with household and pals, specialists are sounding the alarm on potential hazards since fireplace accidents are fairly widespread in the course of the vacation season.
“One out of every five fires are caused by a natural Christmas tree in and around the Christmas season,” mentioned Ken McMullen, president of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs (CAFC).
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Other than cooking, candles are one other main reason behind fires over the vacations, in keeping with James Donaldson, a fireplace prevention officer on the University of Toronto.
He estimates that roughly 200 fires involving Christmas timber and lighting happen annually over the course of the winter season throughout Canada — fires which can be generally lethal.
During the 2020-21 winter season, not less than 5 individuals had been killed by dry Christmas timber that caught fireplace in Ontario, in keeping with provincial officers.
In Toronto particularly, Christmas timber ignited three fires in 2019 and two in 2020.
In Halifax, N.S., emergency crews had been busy on Christmas Day a few years in the past responding to round 20 calls, together with two vital construction fires.
Also in 2020, a fireplace on the night of Christmas Day precipitated $300,000 in harm to 2 houses in Saskatoon’s Riversdale neighbourhood. No accidents had been reported.
Besides Christmas timber, there may be elevated use of house heaters, candles, electrical cords, lighting for timber and different decorative décor in the course of the vacation season.
All of those elements play into the next prevalence of fires, mentioned the Toronto Fire Services Public Information Office.
After two years of COVID restrictions, extra individuals will probably be internet hosting in 2022 and having visitors round.
Experts say you will need to have a fireplace escape plan and a correctly functioning smoke alarm system in a single’s home.
In the United States, 160 dwelling fires started with Christmas timber, leading to two civilian deaths, 12 civilian accidents, and US$10 million in direct property harm, on common annually between 2015 and 2019, in keeping with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Better consciousness and fireplace safety techniques in houses have led to a discount of fires brought on by Christmas timber in Canada, mentioned McMullen, however there may be nonetheless an “additional risk factor.”
When selecting your Christmas tree, there are a variety of issues you are able to do to make sure security and get the precise one appropriate to maintain in the home.
McMullen suggested deciding on a tree that was lower most not too long ago as a result of timber dry out over time and develop into prone to catching fireplace.
“We always want to make sure that the pine needles that are on our Christmas trees are … staying on the tree,” he mentioned.
Checking the underside of the tree for sap is an efficient indicator of how recent the tree is, mentioned Donaldson.
Tree branches ought to be versatile — that means they will bend with out the needles coming off, he mentioned. You can shake the branches or run your palms alongside them and even pound the tree on the bottom to verify the needles don’t fall off.
Christmas timber are very flammable particularly once they get dry and brittle, which is why they need to be watered day by day, specialists say.
“That dry Christmas tree actually is quite a dangerous situation that we don’t want people to get caught off guard with,” mentioned McMullen.
Where and how one can arrange your tree
Donaldson mentioned in lots of residential buildings solely synthetic timber can be utilized, so it’s important to first be sure you are even allowed to deliver a dwell Christmas tree dwelling.
As a part of its vacation fireplace security ideas, the CAFC advises individuals to maintain their Christmas timber not less than three toes away from any warmth sources, like a fire, radiator, candle or range.
The tree shouldn’t be blocking doorways, home windows or every other exit routes, to permit for simple escape in case of an emergency.
A stable stand ought to safe the tree — and in the event you see it getting wobbly, a information wire can be utilized to connect it to the ceiling at high, mentioned Donaldson.
More than one-third of dwelling ornament fires are began by candles, in keeping with the NFPA.
This is why the CAFC is urging Canadians to keep away from utilizing actual candles for his or her vacation decorations and “go flameless” this season.
Those who do select to make use of candles are suggested to maintain them not less than 12 inches away from something flamable, CAFC says.
The metropolis of Ottawa is advising residents to maintain candles in a sturdy container, away from pets and youngsters and to blow them out when leaving the room.
Lighting used on the timber should be accepted by the Canadian Standards Association, officers and specialists say.
Donaldson advisable placing a most of 100 lights per foot of the tree. So, a six-foot tree should not have any greater than 600 lights, he mentioned.
LED lights use much less energy and produce much less warmth, so these are a great choice for Christmas decorations.
Old and frayed wires may end up in {an electrical} spark, McMullen cautioned, and so strings with seen indicators of breakage or put on shouldn’t be used.
Residents are additionally reminded to not overload extension cords and energy bars — if extra shops are required, a licensed electrician ought to set up them.
To guarantee security, all ornamental lighting also needs to be turned off at night time earlier than individuals go to mattress.
How to eliminate timber safely
Once the vacation season ends, Christmas timber shouldn’t be saved in and round the home, particularly in a storage, which may have heating sources equivalent to automobiles and heaters, specialists say.
Most municipalities have a recycling program for Christmas timber. People ought to contact their native authorities and eliminate their timber safely in a chosen location.
The most time to maintain the Christmas tree up earlier than it could develop into unsafe is “four weeks,” mentioned Donaldson.
“They’re not to be just left lying around in and around your house until the summer months when you think you’re going to dispose of it yourself,” mentioned McMullen.
