More than a third (36 percent) of home fires in the U.S. involving Christmas trees occur in January.
Given this fire danger after the holidays, the National Fire Protection Association® Urges everyone to dispose of Christmas trees immediately after the holiday season.
“As much as we all enjoy the look and feel of Christmas trees in our homes, they are large flammable items that have the potential to start serious fires,” said Lorraine Carli, vice president of public relations and advocacy for NFPA. According to NFPA data Christmas tree fires do not occur often, but when they do occur they are more likely to be serious.
This is partly because fresh Christmas trees dry out over time, making them more flammable the longer they stay in the house. A dried out Christmas tree will burn much faster than a well-watered one. Between 2018 and 2022, there were an average of 155 residential fires annually that started with Christmas trees. Four civilians were killed, seven civilians were injured, and direct property damage amounted to $15 million.
“Fires that start with Christmas trees represent a very small but notable portion of the fire problem in the United States, considering that they generally only occur for a short period of time each year,” Carli said. To dispose of a Christmas tree safely, NFPA recommends using your local community's recycling program when possible; Trees should not be placed in the garage or left outside. NFPA also offers these tips for safely removing lighting and decorations to ensure they remain in good condition:
- When removing electrical decorations, use the grip area on the plug. Never pull on the cord to unplug an appliance as this may damage the wire and insulation of the cord and increase the risk of electric shock or electrical fire.
- When packing the string lights, inspect each wire for damage and discard any string lights with loose connections, broken sockets, or broken or bare wires.
- Wrap each set of lights and place them in individual plastic bags or wrap them around a piece of cardboard.
- Store electrical decorations in a dry place, away from children and pets, where they cannot be damaged by water or moisture.