The National Fire Protection Association is urging people to remove their Christmas trees as soon as possible. This is a part of their campaign Put a Freeze on Winter Fires.
NFPA statistics show that Christmas tree fires are not that common but if they do happen, things are much more serious compared to other home fires.
Communications manager Susan McKelvey says the reason for this is because Christmas trees are more combustible, especially the older ones.
“When you look at how quickly a dried out tree burns, it just goes up in flames and becomes engulfed in flames in literally a matter of seconds. So you got a roaring fire in your home," she said.
She also said this can escalate quickly these days. “Today’s home products and furnishing are largely made of synthetic fibers and materials that generate toxic black smoke and gases that make it hard to see and breathe in very short windows of time.”
McKelvey said that lighting equipment is the source of about 44% of Christmas tree fires. She also said another quarter is due to heating sources like candles.
NFPA said in a news release that the best way to get rid of your Christmas tree is to utilize your local community tree recycling program.