Panama City fire officials offer safety tips when decorating for the holidays
PANAMA CITY — With Christmas just a few weeks away, fire officials want to be sure that residents have a safe holiday.
Panama City Fire Department held a live demonstration Tuesday afternoon to show what could happen if a Christmas tree catches fire inside a home. Firefighters set a real tree on fire and in a matter of minutes, the flame spread, destroying the tree, presents and nearby furniture.
Lt. Howard Demro of PCFD explained why it’s important to properly care for a live tree and how it can prevent a possible fire.
“The longer you keep a tree, it’s going to continue to die,” Demro said. “Christmas trees usually last about 30 days if they are properly watered. The tree we used in the demonstration was about two weeks old, and we left it unwatered, so you could see the significant amount of burns it had on it once the fire was put out.”
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After the demonstration, Demro provided tips on how to prevent Christmas tree fires and properly set up decorations around the holidays. He urged residents to be sure live trees are being watered daily, inspect Christmas lights for damage and keep trees at a safe distance away from hazardous objects.
He added that some of the most common causes of Christmas tree fires are overloaded sockets, faulty wiring, dried-out trees and space heaters being kept too close to a tree. He also suggested using boiling water to melt the saps if the tree is not showing the progression it should.
The demonstration occurred in an open-air space, but Demro said the outcome would be much worse inside a house or confined area.
“If we would've taken this same scenario inside of a home, then there would've been a lot more smoke and heat intensity, which would have caught more things on fire,” he said. “Christmas tree fires are very rare, but when they happen, they burn very intensely.
“We want everyone to have a happy holiday season, but also want to make sure people are being safe with their decorations,” Demro said. “Christmas time is such a big part of the holiday season, and we just want everybody to know the dangers that could happen with a faulty Christmas tree or wiring.”
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Fire Department provides safety tips for holiday safety
