No one expects the Christmas tree to explode.
But that's exactly what can happen if you're not careful, says Dan Kilpatrick, Burnaby's chief fire prevention officer.
On New Year's Day, not long ago, Kilpatrick and his crew were called out to a house fire that had started in the kitchen.
The resident had put a pot of water on to boil and then gone to the front of the house to take down her Christmas tree decorations.
She'd then dragged the tree back through the kitchen to take it outside when a branch touched the red-hot element on the stove and the tree immediately caught fire.
"When they get dry, all those dead needles, they literally just burst into flame," Kilpatrick said, noting the first week of January is when firefighters expect an increase in calls for house fires because of combusting Christmas trees.
To prevent this type of accident, it's essential to keep trees watered, he said.
The first step is to check a tree before buying it to make sure it's still fresh and that the needles are not dry and falling off.
Next, cut the base on a slight diagonal to allow the tree to more easily draw water up the trunk.
Once home, the tree should be placed in a bucket of water.
"That's the big secret," Kilpatrick said. "Keep it watered and don't ever let it dry out. Once the bottom of the stem dries out it'll seal over with sap and you won't get the water (travelling) up."
Even artificial trees can be dangerous if they have a metal base that could conduct electricity and cause a shock, he noted.
Besides Christmas trees, Kilpatrick said the two other main causes of fires at this time of year are candles and electric light cords that are cracked or worn, which can spark a fire.
Kilpatrick said electrical lights should be turned off when no one is home or when people are going to bed.
"People go, 'Oh, well it looks nice to have the lights on at night.' Well, it's a danger," he said.
Besides calls for house fires, firefighters are also most commonly called out for injuries sustained by people improperly using ladders to install lights or other decorations, Kilpatrick noted.
For more winter and seasonal safety tips, visit www.burnaby.ca and click on the "City Services" tab to open the fire department page.
