INSTITUTE, W.Va. –– It’s important to keep your Christmas trees well-maintained during this holiday season to avoid any house fires, according to Kanawha County Fire Coordinator C.W. Sigman.
“Keep anything that’s hot away from that tree. Don’t put it too close to the fireplace,” Sigman encouraged the public.
Kanawha County emergency management officials and local firefighters performed a fire demonstration at the Emergency Preparedness Training Center in Institute Wednesday afternoon where crews showed reporters two separate Christmas tree fires.
“The one tree burned up in seconds that was not maintained,” Sigman said. The other tree, which had the end cut off and was properly placed in water, “made all the difference in the world,” he said.
Also, Sigman stressed the importance of having a smoke alarm and keeping doors shut inside the home, in case a fire were to happen.
Sigman said this is the time of year a lot of families like to cook.
“We see more chimney fires then we see Christmas tree fires, not to say we don’t see the Christmas tree fires. The number one cause of fires in homes almost all the time is cooking,” he said.
As many June flood victims work to rebuild their homes, Sigman warned them to be careful.
“We’ve got people who are not as comfortable in their homes as they used to be. The home is just not as resilient as they once were as they’re trying to rebuild. I’m afraid they’re using alternative heat and they’re still wanting to have a Christmas for their families. We’ve got a little bit more of a hazard,” he explained.
Here are some tips from the National Fire Protection Association:
- Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking so you can keep an eye on the food.
- Keep kids away from the stove. The stove will be hot so keep kids and pets away from it.
- Keep the kids away from hot foods and liquids. Steam or splash burns, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.
- Never leave children alone with a lit candle and keep matches and lighters locked up away from them.
- Be sure your smoke alarms are working.
- A little bit of spilled cooking oil can cause a pretty large fire.