Holiday inferno; local restoration company raises awareness about dangers of dry Christmas trees
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IDAHO FALLS — While roasting chestnuts on an open fire is a holiday classic, roasting presents under a burning Christmas tree should be the last thing on a family’s holiday plan.
SERVPRO of Idaho Falls, a restoration and cleanup company, hosted a demonstration about how quickly a real Christmas tree can cause an inferno.
The demonstration took place on a small mobile set, designed to resemble the corner of a living room. In the faux room, a dry pine tree was adorned with Christmas decorations and surrounded by presents.
SERVPRO owner Skyler Price told EastIdahoNews.com the tree was dried to show what it might look like if it were not taken care of after Dec. 1.
Grabbing the ends of the tree, Price demonstrated how dry and papery the tree felt overall. He said that with a tree wrapped in lights, it can draw out the moisture it may have, and when its sap starts to dry, it becomes like gasoline. The tree was then set ablaze.
“Nationwide, it’s about 1% of all fires that happen in December that are from the ignition source of a tree,” Price said.
While the number is relatively low, he said a dry tree can help fuel a fire.
Fire Chief Jon Molbert of Bonneville County Fire District 1 stated that, although the tree used was a bit drier, a moist tree can still catch fire and burn in under a minute.
Looking back, most of the fires the fire district is dispatched to are not from Christmas trees but from space heaters, according to Molbert.
He urged families to be cautious and to have an evacuation plan in place in the event of an emergency like this.
“If there is a fire… just leave the house. Nothing is inside the house, presents or furniture, they’re not worth saving. Your lives are more important,” Molbert said.
Once a fire has been extinguished, Price said that, depending on whether the fire remained confined to a single room and how long it burned, the cost can be upwards of $10,000.
“Fire does some crazy things, where it’ll be sucked into places or attracted to the cold spots in your home,” Price said. “We’ve actually seen where the fire will be in a room downstairs, and the fire will travel up all the little electrical lines all the way to an upstairs room that’s clear on the other side of the house.”
The purpose of the demonstration is to raise awareness about safety during this time of year and to encourage people to take care of real trees.
Price said keeping the tree watered helps, and using Sprite or 7-Up is also effective in keeping the tree moist.