The Christmas tree sitting in your living room is an ignition source waiting to be set off-- that's the message from the Fresno Fire Department.
The longer you keep it, the bigger the potential fire hazard is for your home.
Once a Christmas tree catches fire, it takes less than one minute for it to spread in a room and destroy a home.
Friday, firefighters with the Fresno Fire Dept. demonstrated in an empty room how quickly a Christmas tree fire can spread.
About 400 homes are destroyed, an average of 22 people die, and about $25 million worth of property is damaged every year in the U.S. in Christmas tree-related fires, said Koby Johns with the Fresno Fire Dept.
"They're pretty, but they're dying, and right now you've got essentially a bomb sitting in your living room," Johns said. "It's the stuff we put on it, put around it, it's there by space heaters or by fire places, and it's those extra things that are going to cause the ignition source."
Last week in Reedley, a fire left four people without a home. Firefighters suspect Christmas tree decorations are to blame, said Reedley Fire Chief Jerry Isaak.
No matter the source, Christmas trees, even ones that aren't dry, can turn a spark into a raging blaze within seconds.
Now that the holiday season has ended, it's time to get rid of the trees.
In many cities, including Fresno, you must break down your tree, remove the decorations, and put in the green waste bin.
Improper disposal is not only bad for the environment, but also for your wallet, said Patrick Wiemiller, director of Public Works with the City of Fresno.
"Ultimately, it makes it a lot more expensive, and it's an impact on rates to have people just chucking their trees out like that," Wiemiller said.
Click below for helpful links on proper Christmas tree disposal.
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