The holiday season is a really special time of year. Not only do families get to come together for Thanksgiving, but they get to spend even more quality time together for Christmas. While there is a long list of reasons to be excited about the holidays, it’s important to know that they come with an increased risk for fire damage in your home.
Although our team at Restoration Now! Omaha doesn’t want to put a damper on holiday cheer, it’s vital to be aware that Christmas trees can increase the chance of fire damage in your home. The good news is that by understanding why they pose this risk, as well as what you can do in your own Omaha home to reduce the chances of a fire, you’ll be able to continue enjoying all of the season’s celebrations with peace of mind.
Understanding How Christmas Trees Can Cause Home Fire Damage
When Omaha homeowners first hear that Christmas trees can be a fire risk, their first question is usually how? There are actually two factors that lead to this situation. The first is that real Christmas trees are a living thing. While keeping them in water can help them stay fresh for longer, they’re still going to start drying out. As the National Fire Protection Association explains each year, the process of Christmas trees drying out significantly increases their flammability.
The other factor that creates this risk is the presence of an electrical source. Specifically, any type of holiday lights wrapped around a tree means that there’s a line of electricity around this surface. Even though either of those factors may not be a huge issue on their own, the combination of hot electric Christmas lights and a flammable tree can increase your risk of a fire.
The reason that Omaha residents need to take this issue seriously is that even though fires caused by Christmas trees aren’t very common, they are more deadly than standard fires. While there’s one death out of every 144 general home fires, the average for Christmas tree fires is one death for every 66 fires.
While that statistic is a little alarming, the good news is there are a few simple steps you can take to significantly reduce the risk of this type of fire. The first is to simply buy an artificial tree that’s labeled as fire-retardant. However, if having a real tree is important to your family, the second option is to be very diligent about not keeping this type of tree in your home or garage once it’s dried out to the point of losing lots of needles on a daily basis. Finally, be sure to carefully inspect lights for damage prior to hanging them up or storing them for another year.
Call Restoration Now! Omaha At (402) 502-7277 For Immediate Fire Damage Help
While it’s not something any family wants to think about, Restoration Now! Omaha knows all too well that the risk of home fires is present 365 days a year. If a fire of any size ever occurs in your home, be sure that you first call 911 and when your family is safe, call Restoration Now! Omaha at (402) 502-7277 for professional fire damage restoration.