CHESTERFIELD CO., Va. — With Christmas in the rear view mirror and Winter, almost a week old, the Chesterfield County Fire & EMS Department is urging some fire safety tips for the season.
Among them, getting rid of the centerpiece of your Christmas decorations as soon as possible.
“As soon as Christmas is over, try to get that tree out of your house,” said Chief Deputy Fire Marshal Sal Luciano. “We have seen fires in Chesterfield County having to do with Christmas trees and it's horrible. Anytime that there's a house fire, it's a horrible thing for the family, right. But around the holidays is even worse. We've seen people lose all the Christmas presents, as well as all their personal items, have nowhere to be for the holiday, the temperatures are usually cold. So, it's never a good time to have a house fire but definitely not around the holidays.”
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) said around one thousand fires happen each year caused by either holiday decorations or Christmas trees.
If you are keeping it up past the 25th, make sure to keep it watered, check the lights are in good condition, and keep it away from heat sources.
“Those things also assist to get drying quicker so as you have your heat on your house, as it gets cold, your fireplace going, it really sucks the moisture out of these trees and makes them just like any other thing in your house that can catch fire quickly and spread.”
A list of Christmas tree recycling options that start Dec. 26 can be found here on the Central Virginia Waste Management Authority’s website.
Luciano said there are other tips he wants people to know as winter is officially underway and colder temperatures are on in the horizon -- including the use of portable space heaters -- and keeping them at least three feet away from anything combustible, trees included.
“When you plug them in, you plug directly into the receptacle, don't use extension cords on those and make sure you keep them from being able to fall over and knocked over by children animals,” he added.
Luciano said people should not being using their stoves to heat their homes, while people using wood-burning fireplaces, need to dispose of ashes properly.
“Ashes can smolder for a long period of time. You don't want to put them in boxes or paper bags even if it's multi-days later.”
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