Here are some Sacramento firefighter tips on how to avoid a Christmas tree disaster

The Sacramento Fire Department is advising residents to follow basic fire safety tips to prevent a Christmas tree disaster this year.

When first getting a tree, look for one that’s not already dried out, said Chief Gary Loesch.

“One of the first things you want to do when you purchase a tree is you want to make sure that the branches and the needles are very supple and very flexible,” he said.

Next, he recommends cutting off the first inch of trunk to allow the tree to absorb water and stray fresher for a longer time.

Checking the water level in the stand also is important for keeping the tree fresh.

With so many people getting trees early this year while staying home for the coronavirus pandemic, the fire department has concerns that more trees will dry out by the holiday season, which could fuel a potential fire.

“As we talked to a lot of the different sellers of trees and nonprofits, they said people were actually buying the trees sooner because of being home and not having a lot to do,” Loesch said.

Capt. Keith Wade advised residents to use lights that are UL listed, but that LED lights are best, rather than using lights with bulbs that get hot. Using older, more traditional lights or those with frayed wires or missing bulbs could ignite the Christmas tree.

Residents are also advised they should turn off the lights whenever leaving the home or when going to bed. To avoid an ignition, the tree should be kept many feet away from any heat source, floor vent or flames of any sort.

While real trees and artificial trees alike can go up in flames, Wade advised that both options are safe when following the department’s tips.

To demonstrate the speed with which a Christmas tree can catch fire, the fire department set one ablaze inside a large shipping container on Friday. Within seconds, the whole tree was covered in flames, while dense smoke billowed out of the container.

“All that smoke that you saw, that would have traveled throughout the home. Obviously, you should have working smoke detectors, but that smoke would’ve gone up in the bedrooms,” Loesch said.

Wade said that the department used to respond to four to five Christmas tree fires every season several years ago, but now the public has become safer about decorations. Cooking fires have been more common during the Christmas season, with the flames often reaching the tree, but not originating there.

“Christmas tree fires are rather rare now, but if they do happen to catch on fire it can ... result in a fatality,” Wade said.

This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Here are some Sacramento firefighter tips on how to avoid a Christmas tree disaster."