As the holiday season draws to a close, Doctors Hospital of Augusta has taken to social media to offer valuable information on preventing Christmas tree fires and properly disposing of trees.
A recent Facebook post by the hospital highlights the potential fire hazards posed by dried-out Christmas trees; the speed with which a dried-out tree can catch on fire is reflected in the video below, which was shared by the hospital.
Preventing Christmas tree fires
The hospital suggests taking preventative measures including regularly watering the tree to keep it from drying out, opting for cool-to-the-touch LED lights and inspecting them for damaged cords and loose connections, unplugging lights on the tree before leaving the house or going to bed and positioning the tree away from heat sources such as fireplaces, heaters, radiators and candles.
“When these trees becomes dry, there are certainly an opportunity for a very quick and fast moving fire that certainly can cause energy to those that might be around it,” said Dr. Shawn Fagan, chief medical officer at the JMS Burn Center at Doctors Hospital.
Fagan said that the hospital sees an uptick in injuries related to Christmas tree fires and kitchen incidents during the holiday season when households host large groups.
“Anytime during the holiday season, you know, we see things that are associated with celebration,” he said.
Disposing of your tree
Furthermore, the hospital suggested that community members dispose of their Christmas trees by taking advantage of curbside pickup services by local groups, dropping off the tree to a facility where it can be turned into mulch or placing the tree in the backyard where it can serve as a winter shelter for birds and wildlife.
Fagan said they don’t encourage burning trees to dispose of them.
“We certainly see that each year where somebody, without the understanding of how quickly these trees can go up, you know, tries to burn the tree in the backyard and then we have somebody that suffers a thermal injury.”
After Christmas and during the month of January, Augusta Solid Waste offers Christmas tree pickup and recycling as part of its yard waste program.
