By Jill Sperling

Keeping Christmas decorations festive not fiery

Dec 15, 2016 | 1:21 PM

KAMLOOPS — Lights are being strung, halls are getting decked, and many families are picking out their Christmas trees. 

These things make a home feel festive for the holidays, but they can also increase the risk of fire. 

Lyle Weninger, Life Safety Educator with Kamloops Fire Rescue said a natural Christmas tree that isn’t properly placed and watered could quickly turn into an out of control blaze. 

“It’s not as common as people think,” Weninger said, “but the thing is when you have a Christmas tree fire it’s very volatile so they go very quickly. So that’s what the danger is in them.”

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Making sure your home is safe over the holidays starts with selecting the right tree.

“You want to pick one that’s fresh, you want to run your hand down it and make sure the needles aren’t falling off,” Weninger explained. “When you take it home and you place your tree you want to make sure it’s not near any heat sources, and that includes your registers on the ground, so you’re not drying your tree out, and not too close to any lights that can catch it on fire.” 

Freshly cut trees are delivered to the Christmas tree lot at Sahali Mall nearly every day. Paul Eberhard with Woodward Christmas Tree Farm said with proper maintenance the trees can stay healthy right through the season, reducing the risk of fire. 

“With the weather the way it’s been, it’s probably quite safe that they’ve been quite frozen,” he said. “The most important thing is these trees are still able to be taken a little bit off the bottom, and put in a stand with a little bit of water, and you can keep them alive through the season.” 

As Christmas lights are strung inside and out, it’s important to note manufacturer’s recommendations, and take no shortcuts.

“First thing you want to do, is you want to make sure the lighting is for its intended use,” Weninger said. “So don’t use indoor lighting outdoors and vice versa, don’t do outdoor lighting indoors. When you’re putting your lighting up don’t use staples or nails, you might damage your wiring. Use the plastic clips that they come with.” 

Weninger adds lights and trees aren’t the only fire hazards during the holidays. 

“The most common cause of fire during the holidays is cooking. That’s unattended cooking, and things left too close to the stove. Lots of people start their cooking, go visit with people and all of a sudden they have a fire in their kitchen.”

As always, a working smoke detector can be a life saver, keeping your family safe this Christmas. 

More holiday safety tips are available on KFR’s Facebook and Twitter.