Keeping Your Tree Safe During Holidays

It takes less than one minute for a Christmas tree to become completely engulfed in flames, so how do you keep your home protected during the Holiday Season?

“The thing you really have to remember with a Christmas tree is it’s better if you cut it fresh,” said Santa Maria Battalion Chief, Rick Bertram. “If you don’t cut it fresh, make sure you at least keep it submerged in water.”

Bertram said it’s important that the tree doesn’t dry out so quickly.

“Fire place dries them out quicker, plus you can get a spark from the fire place into the tree,” Betram said.

He also explained, that for people who live in older homes, they should keep the tree away from floor furnaces.

“It’s not so much that they start faster than any other shrubbery its
when they’re in your home they’re basically in the dying process,” he said.

George Enriquez has been selling Christmas trees in Santa Maria for over twenty years, and he agrees.

“Make sure once you take it to the house, it’s kept in water,” Enriquez said.

Buying a fire protectant can also prevent your tree from drying out quickly.

“We recommend when you buy a tree, to buy a bottle of preservative,” he said.