As British Columbians prepare to dispose of their Christmas trees, firefighters in North Vancouver held a potent demonstration of just how dangerous a dry tree can be.
In a controlled setting, crews set a Christmas tree alight Monday, showing how it can take less than a minute for the holiday decoration to become fully engulfed in flames.
“We don’t want to see people throwing them outside the house, stacking them up and it becomes a danger and they could catch on fire, creates a public safety (hazard) at that point,” explained Jordan Marshall of the City of North Vancouver Fire Department.
According to the National Fire Protection Agency, Christmas tree fires aren’t common, but when they do occur, they tend to be serious.
About a third of such fires are caused by electrical faults.
The department held its annual charity tree chip-up event at a North Vancouver Rona parking lot Monday. Marshall said such events are a great way to support community initiatives while ensuring their homes stay fire safe.
“It’s just a good way to get the tree out of the house and the tree ends up being dangerous as it dries out and becomes fuel and we’re just encouraging everyone to get the trees out of the house as soon as possible,” he said.
Many Lower Mainland municipalities hold similar tree disposal events in January.
Monday’s North Vancouver event collected donations with all proceeds going to the North Vancouver City Firefighters Scholarship Fund.