Santa Visits North Coventry Township

Christmas Tree Fires

10 Tips for making your Christmas tree fire-safe

Carefully decorating Christmas trees can help make your holidays safer. Note: A small fire that spreads to a Christmas tree can very quickly become large.

Facts & figures

Christmas trees were the items first ignited in an estimated average of 310 reported U.S home structure fires per year in 1999-2002. These fires caused an average of 14 civilian deaths, 40 civilian injuries, and $16.2 million in direct property damage per year. These statistics include both real and artificial trees.

On average, one in every 22 reported home Christmas tree fires resulted in a death.
More than four of every ten home Christmas tree fires are caused by an electrical problem or malfunction. One in four (24%) home Christmas tree fires resulted from a heat source placed too close to the tree. Seven percent were started by children playing with fire.

When equipment was involved in the ignition of the fire, lamps, bulbs or lighting (18%), and cords or plugs (13%) were cited more often than any other type of equipment. No equipment was involved in 44% of these fires. Candles were the heat source in 8% of the home Christmas tree fires per year between 1999 and 2002.

Sixty-one percent of the home Christmas tree fires were reported in December, 22% were reported in January. Not surprisingly, the number of these fires spikes during the week of December 22-28.

10 Tips for making your Christmas tree fire-safe