The special structure built by the Whitfield County Fire Department is shown before and during a fire that demonstrated how a Christmas tree fire can spread in a home in less than 60 seconds.
How fast will a dried-out Christmas tree burn?
The Whitfield County Fire Department found out on Dec. 15, during an experiment with a tree that had not been watered since Nov. 23. The firefighters put the tree in a make-shift room filled with furniture, started a fire, and the entire structure was fully engulfed within one minute.
Lt. Chris West, fire prevention coordinator, cautioned local residents who have live trees to be sure to keep them watered, and don’t leave the lights plugged in while they are away from the house or asleep.
“As we found out, it just takes a minute to have a disaster,” Lt. West said, pointing out that nationwide each year from 2010 to 2014, more than 200 structure fires began with a Christmas tree, causing six civilian deaths and 16 civilian injuries annually.
When choosing a live Christmas tree, Lt. West says to make sure the needles are green and don’t fall off when touched. Place the tree at least three feet away from heat sources like fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents, and lights. Before placing the tree in the stand, cut off two inches from the base of the trunk, and then add water immediately to the stand, then continue to water daily.
Thanks to the efforts of Frank Revilo and two of his Southeast Whitfield High School audio/visual students Shane Babb and Will Harvey, one can watch a video of the actual fire experiment on YouTube at http://youtu.be/pAplOePfyNw.
The special structure built by the Whitfield County Fire Department is shown before and during a fire that demonstrated how a Christmas tree fire can spread in a home in less than 60 seconds.