SACRAMENTO-
If you don’t want your Christmas plans to go up in smoke, it’s time to pay your Christmas tree a little attention.
“Watering the tree is the key component. There is a whole lot of things you can do, just basic safety tips, but keeping that tree properly watered is the huge one,” Metro Fire spokesperson Michelle Eidam said.
Metro Fire says most people water their tree when they first get it but then forget about it, its important to keep adding water.
“The first day you want to put as much water in as possible. You’re looking at a gallon of water, and a quart of water every day thereafter,” Eidam said.
Thursday, Metro Fire demonstrated just how big of a difference proper watering makes. One tree was properly hydrated while the other was dry.
The hydrated tree didn’t catch fire even when a flame was held to the branches for three minutes. The dry tree went up in flames.
It’s also important to get rid of your tree when it starts dropping a lot of pine needles. That means the tree is dry and dying and a fire hazard.
