Better to be safe than sorry

12/8/2020 (Permalink)

Holiday season is in full swing! I don't think there is anyone more happy than us at SERVPRO of Hayward. We love getting together and celebrating. But with holidays and everyone decorating for them comes one of the biggest fire hazards of them all..... Real Christmas trees. Oh they are so beautiful and smell absolutely amazing!! They need a lot of tender care, but we at SERVPRO are here to give you some helpful tips and some useful facts about Christmas trees.

Between 2013 and 2017; 160 home fires were reported by the National Fire Protection Association and 44% were fueled by electrical problems. Over 10 million dollars in property damage was caused.

• 25 percent of Christmas tree fires are caused from and alternate heat source such as a candle to close to the tree.
• Not watering your tree in the morning and before you go to bed will cause it to die and dry out causing it to go up in flames way faster.
• Always unplug your tree when you are not home or before you go to bed. We all love the way the tree lights up a room at night but not when the flames area the light... 85 percent of Christmas tree fires happen when no one is home.

Leaving your tree lit and unattended, the lights heat up and cause the dry needles to ignite. It only takes between seven to ten minutes for a whole tree to burn and catch the rest of your home or business to go up in flames. We at SERVPRO encourage you water your tree twice a day and unplug the lights when unattended.