{"id":21,"date":"2017-02-02T10:11:36","date_gmt":"2017-02-02T15:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/?page_id=21"},"modified":"2019-07-03T16:37:41","modified_gmt":"2019-07-03T20:37:41","slug":"christmas-tree-safety","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/safety-information\/christmas-tree-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Tree Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>According to the National Fire Protection Association, one in every six Christmas tree fires are caused by a heating source that is too close. What could start as a small fire, can grow large very quickly with a Christmas tree.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For a great number of Hoosiers, selecting and decorating a Christmas tree is an annual holiday tradition,\u201d says Indiana\u00a0State Fire Marshal Jim Greeson. \u201cFamilies can help keep this a joyful tradition every year by making sure their Christmas tree is carefully selected and properly cared for to reduce any fire risks&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Fire safety tips when picking out and maintaining your tree:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When buying a live Christmas tree, choose the freshest tree possible. Harvest at a Christmas tree farm, or select a freshly cut tree that hasn&#8217;t been on the sales lot long.<\/li>\n<li>Choose a tree with fresh, green needles that do not fall off when touched.<\/li>\n<li>If you choose an artificial tree, be sure it is identified by the manufacturer as fire retardant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Christmas Tree Maintenance<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Before placing the tree in the stand, cut 1-2\u201d from the base of the trunk.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure the tree is at least three feet away from any heat source.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure the tree does not block an exit.<\/li>\n<li>Keep the tree stand filled with water at all times. Add water daily to the tree stand. Live Christmas trees dry out quickly once they&#8217;re brought into a home. A dry Christmas tree can quickly go up in flames.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Tree Lights and Decorations<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make sure to examine all lights and ornaments when decorating a tree.<\/li>\n<li>Some lights are either for indoor or outdoor use only, while some may be used in either location. Make sure the lights are appropriate for the venue.<\/li>\n<li>Replace any string of lights that have worn, in addition to broken cords and broken bulbs.<\/li>\n<li>Periodically check the wires &#8211; they should not be warm to the touch. If they do feel warm, replace them.<\/li>\n<li>Never decorate the tree with lit candles.<\/li>\n<li>Always be sure to turn the tree lights off before leaving home or going to bed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This video illustrates how quickly a dry Christmas tree will burn.<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-shortcode\"><iframe title=\"Christmas Tree Fire Turns Devastating and Deadly Within Seconds\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xr6b9b8FYKk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to the National Fire Protection Association, one in every six Christmas tree fires are caused by a heating source that is too close. What could start as a small fire, can grow large very quickly with a Christmas tree. &#8220;For a great number of Hoosiers, selecting and decorating a Christmas tree is an annual  [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":19,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-21","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-10-05 02:47:10","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/19"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.columbus.in.gov\/fire\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}