LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Firefighters in Louisville held a demonstration Monday to show the dangers of not properly taking care of Christmas trees.
Anchorage Middletown Fire and EMS said it's important to keep trees fresh by watering them so they don't dry out.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, only 0.1% of residential fires involve a Christmas tree. A 2022 report revealed that, from 2016-20, 44% of those fires were caused by electrical or lighting equipment like lamps, wiring, cords and plugs.
Thirteen percent of the fires were caused by heating equipment like space heaters. The fires can be just as dangerous with an artificial tree.
"You need to keep an eye on those as well," said Jordan Yuodis, spokesperson for the Anchorage-Middletown Fire Department. "If you're not home, or when you go to bed, unplug the tree. Don't leave the tree on all night. Those lights — whether or not they are LED or incandescent — they still do put off a little bit of heat. But it's better to be safe than sorry."
From 2016 through 2020, two people died and 11 people were injured in Christmas tree fires, along with property damaged totaling $12 million in the U.S.
Related Stories:
- Louisville Fire share home heating tips as temperatures drop this fall
- More than 60 firefighters battle 3-alarm fire at vacant church in downtown Louisville
- No one hurt in 2 house fires, Louisville Fire says
- 1 hospitalized, several people rescued from smoky fire at high-rise apartment near Old Louisville
- Louisville-area firefighters head to assist Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton
- Oldham County firefighter added to Kentucky Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Frankfort
Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
