Holiday Fire Prevention
Source: US Fire Administration

Holiday Tree Fire Hazards

Water That Tree!

What's a holiday party or even the traditional Christmas morning scene itself without a beautifully decorated tree? If your household, as those of more than 33 million other American homes, includes a natural tree in its festivities, take to heart the sales person's suggestion --"Keep the tree watered." That's good advice and not just to create a fragrant indoor winter wonderland atmosphere. Christmas trees account for 400 fires annually, resulting in 10 deaths, 80 injuries and more than $15 million in property damage. Typically shorts in electrical lights or open flames from candles, lighters or matches start tree fires. Well-watered trees are not a problem. Dry and neglected trees can be.
Tree Fire Video Clip -- QT (2.3 MB)
Tree Fire Video Clip -- MPEG (4.6 MB)
Tree Fire Video Clip -- Real Media (246 KB)
Tree Fire Video Clip -- AVI (2.4 MB)

The video clip above from the Building and Fire Research Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology illustrates what happens when fire touches a dry tree. Within three seconds of ignition, the dry Scotch pine is completely ablaze. At five seconds, the fire extends up the tree and black smoke with searing gases streaks across the ceiling. Fresh air near the floor feeds the fire. The sofa, coffee table and the carpet ignite prior to any flame contact. Within 40 seconds "flashover" occurs -- that's when an entire room erupts into flames, oxygen is depleted and dense, deadly toxic smoke engulfs the scene.

Wet trees tell a different story. For comparative purposes, the NIST fire safety engineers selected a green Scotch pine, had it cut in their presence, had an additional two inches cut from the trunk's bottom, and placed the tree in a stand with at least a 7.6 liter water capacity. The researchers maintained the Scotch pine's water on a daily basis. A single match could not ignite the tree. A second attempt in which an electric current ignited an entire matchbook failed to fire the tree. Finally they applied an open flame to the tree using a propane torch. The branches ignited briefly, but self-extinguished when the researchers removed the torch from the branches. As NIST fire safety engineers say: REMEMBER, A WET TREE IS A SAFE TREE!

Take a look at the video segments below. The Building and Fire Research Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology conducted this demonstration and the footage was used in a recent television news report.

The 7MB file is a complete news piece on holiday fire safety. The 2MB file shows the tree from initial ignition to fully ablaze. FEMA and the U.S. Fire Administration thank WJLA, Channel 7 News, for permission to post these files for your viewing. These clips are not in the public domain. Courtesy of WJLA, Channel 7, Washington, D.C.

Download 

News Story: Holiday Tree Fire Hazards, 1 min. 15 sec. -- 7 MB
Excerpt of Burning Tree, 20 sec. -- 2 MB