By Charly SHELTON

Christmas trees are beautiful and festive, but can also be dangerous. Some families opt for artificial trees because they are more fire safe, while others choose to have a live tree for the season, with flocking or fire retardant sprayed on the needles. The Glendale Fire Dept. hosted a live fire demonstration on Wednesday to show how quickly and furiously a dry Christmas tree can burn when ignited, even if treated with flocking or spray.

“Eventually all trees will burn, but a well-maintained, well-watered tree will not light on fire as readily or as quickly as a dry one,” said GFD Cpt. Scott Mohlenbrok.

The demonstration included two trees – one that was only starting to dry out and had been well-maintained and cared for, and the other that was flocked but was far drier. The moderately dry, well-maintained tree would not ignite when Cpt. Jeff Brooks held a road flare to it, shooting flames of 1000° to 1200° F, for one minute.

Cpt. Brooks moved on to the dry tree and, after one minute and 45 seconds, the first flames took to the tree. It quickly spread around the tree, burning the width and top half. After one minute, 32 seconds, the blaze had burned itself out.

“So in that same time, think of this fire not only burning this tree, but now it’s going to the drapes that you have over your windows, it’s going to the other decorations that you have,” Cpt. Mohlenbrok said. “This is just the catalyst to start the room on fire and, eventually, the house on fire. Think of it as a large Roman Candle that can be very difficult and dangerous in the house.”

The danger, Cpt. Brooks said, comes not so much from one little spark that takes the whole tree down, but from prolonged exposure to heat, such as a faulty battery in a toy beneath the tree or an ill-insulated wire on a strand of old lights. This creates the proper conditions for the tree to be susceptible to a spark.

“We saw this fire from where I placed a flare at a higher level. That’s the same thing a strand of lighting, or anything that has a nick or tear, can easily arc and cause a fire on the upper level of the tree. But it doesn’t mean that every part of this tree is going to burn. Most of us place our tree somewhere in a corner or somewhere else. This is really just a fuel to get anything else in the room started,” Cpt. Brooks said. “So even though it’s burning up here, it’s going to carry off smoke, which will bank up the ceiling and come down, and the gasses off of this will also light up, and that’s when you’ll catch the curtains and the furnishings in your home. Your sofas, your chairs, anything in your home will then help sustain that burning process.”

There are a few things that can be done to help prevent fire conditions. Do not put a Christmas tree near heaters or faulty electrical devices that can cause excess heat when plugged in or turned on. Don’t place the tree near tablecloths, drapes, tapestries or furniture that may go up in flames if exposed to a burning Christmas tree. Be sure that any lights or electrical ornaments are in good working condition and that connections to wall outlets, light sockets or any other connectors are secure. And don’t put the tree near an exit, because it may block the way out of the burning house.

However, above all else, water the tree and check the level every day. Many trees, Cpt. Mohlenbrok said, are purchased in early December and kept in warm houses through the end of the month, sometimes even longer for celebrating Navidad or Epiphany Day, Armenian Christmas. The tree is going to dry out over the four weeks or more that it sits in a home. Keeping a tree watered and needles swept up will help to mitigate the danger of having a dry tree.

“The more fresh that tree is, or if that water level is being checked every day, the less likely it is to sustain combustion,” Cpt. Brooks said.

  Charly Shelton