Firefighters Warn of Dangers of Live, Indoor Christmas Trees

If you have a live Christmas tree in your home you need to remember the fire dangers that come along with it.

The Fort Worth Fire Department and the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association teamed up on Monday to show how fast a Christmas tree can catch fire.

They say a dry Christmas tree can get up to 1,000 degrees in only 25 seconds.

The most important thing families can do is keep their Christmas trees watered with up to a gallon of water a day.

Along with watering them, it’s important to keep any heat sources away from your tree and to turn your Christmas lights off at night and when you leave your home.

It’s also important to have a plan if your Christmas tree does catch on fire.

“The best thing to do is evacuate the house,” said Fort Worth firefighter Kyle Clay. “You need to have a plan. You need to have smoke alarms that are working. They need to be tested once a month. Make sure you have a plan where to go, to where to meet outside, and whatever you do don’t go back inside the house.”

Clay says as soon as your Christmas tree starts to shed needles it is time to throw it out.

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