Madison Co. Fire Dept. shows danger of dry Christmas trees

MADISON COUNTY, Tenn. — “A dry Christmas tree can catch fire and just go up in flames in a matter of seconds,” Madison County Fire Marshal Don Friddle said.

The Madison County Fire Department held a live fire demonstration Wednesday to show the importance of maintaining your Christmas tree during the holiday season.

“Don’t assume that a live tree has been cut and doesn’t need water — it does need water,” Friddle said.

Fire officials say you can determine if your tree is dry just by looking at the needles.

“If you notice that the needles are falling off of the tree, that’s a good indicator that it’s really dry and starting to get brittle,” Fire Marshal Friddle said.

There are several ways an improperly maintained Christmas tree can catch fire.

“We see a lot of candle fires, and we see a lot of electrical shorts due to overloaded outlets,” Friddle said.

Officials say artificial trees may be the safer option.

“If they’re going to make a tree that is on the market today, they have to meet safety standards,” Friddle said.

Friddle says having a Christmas tree up is not as important as having your home.

“Even if it’s the day before Christmas, we recommend that you remove the tree, because that’s the last thing you want at the holidays is to have a fire,” Friddle said.