INDIANAPOLIS — Firefighters hope to encourage residents to be extra aware over the holidays.
According to data from the Electrical Safety Foundation, over 400 house fires occur each year due to Christmas trees or holiday decorations.
“People are rushing around so they get a little sloppy,” Carmel Firefighter Tim Griffin shared. “They stop thinking. You've got something on the stove, but you're also rushing to get to church or your holiday event, so you run upstairs and get in the shower. You forget what's on the stove. You catch something on fire.”
On Monday, Griffin took WRTV through a demonstration of how quickly trees can catch on fire.
Within seconds of igniting the initial flame, the tree had engulfed in flames.
Watch the full demonstration by Griffin below:
“Now, most of our fuel is out of the tree, but anything else in your living room is gonna start to catch fire,” Griffin explained before putting out the blaze.
Griffin says it’s important to keep Christmas trees away from heat sources.
Additionally, Griffin recommends that anyone planning to cook this holiday season have a fire blanket ready to go.
“You'll smother out your fire and it doesn't make a mess like an extinguisher,” Griffin explained while demonstrating how to use the fire blanket.
Griffin says space heaters are the leading cause of fires during the winter months. He suggests anyone using heaters only do so when plugged directly into the wall and away from anything that could catch fire.
For more fire safety tips visit the National Fire Protection Association’s website.
