No matter how the rest of the year has been, many people look
forward to the holiday season as a time of joy and comfort.
Traditions like meeting Santa, family dinner, and
decorating a Christmas tree become important rituals.
Imagine a family going out to pick a tree, or finally bringing
out the artificial one they store all year just for this special
occasion, meticulously decorating it with shiny baubles and pretty
lights, and finding the perfect spot for it in their home… Only for
a catastrophic disaster to take it all away in less than a minute.
This happened to a family in Wales, who, just days after
getting their tall fir tree ready for Christmas, watched
as the flames it caused burned away their holiday dreams.
In December 2018, a young family in Wales was getting ready
for one of the most wonderful times of the year—Christmas.
Nicola and Bradley Jackson had two young daughters, Nia
and Eva, aged nine and six, and sweet little dog, Bella.
The family was excitedly preparing for a holiday full
of joy, presents, and quality time together—they had
just gotten the perfect Christmas tree for their home.
It was a lush, sturdy, six-foot fir tree that smelled
wonderful and looked beautiful in their living room.
The Jacksons spent a magical evening decorating their
tree with shining balls, bright lights, and sparkly stars.
A few days later, Nicola put Nia and Eva to bed and settled
in for the night while Bradley watched a movie downstairs.
Hours later, around 11PM, Nicola was startled
awake by the sound of Bella barking like crazy.
She groggily went downstairs to see what
happened and froze, horrified at what she saw.
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She groggily went downstairs to see what
happened and froze, horrified at what she saw.
Their beloved Christmas tree was up
in flames, filling the air with smoke.
The air was becoming thick and unbreathable, and the fire was spreading.
Nicola sprinted back upstairs to grab her
daughters and husband, but Bradley wasn’t there.
He had fallen asleep on the couch by the fire and hadn’t woken up.
Nicola ran to open one of the kid’s
bedrooms, but the door handle broke off.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Thankfully, her daughter was able to open the door and Nicola
escaped with her children–but she couldn’t give up on her husband.
Though she was crying, terrified, and thought there
was no way he was okay in the living room, she ran
back into the burning building to rescue Bradley.
Nicola found him, and dragged him out by the arm.
Bella, the family pet who first noticed
the fire, also made it outside safely.
The Jacksons were lucky, and grateful to be alive and
safe, but had to watch helplessly as flames consumed their
home, destroying their belongings and their presents they
had lovingly picked, leaving them homeless for Christmas.
As you may have guessed, the culprit was the glittering
Christmas tree that had given the Jacksons so much joy.
This is more common than people may think, US fire departments
respond to around 160 Christmas tree fires every year,
according to the National Fire Protection Association.
You might think you’re safe if you use an
artificial tree, but that’s not totally correct.
According to research by Underwriters Laboratories, a
pre-lit artificial tree can be just as dangerous as a dry
natural tree, though the number of fires from real trees
do outnumber artificial ones by a three-to-one ratio.
Even if an artificial tree is flame retardant or
resistant, if the fire burns hot or long enough, the
protection wears off and the whole tree can catch fire.
160 fires make up only a small fraction of total
house fires, but a blazing Christmas tree is very
dangerous and more likely to be life-threatening.
This is because they burn so fast—instead of a few flames
gathering momentum and giving time for smoke alarms and human
detection, a Christmas tree on fire becomes an inferno in seconds.
A dried-out tree flashes over in flames in less than one
minute, catching and spreading faster than newspaper.
There are several reasons for the rapid burn rate.
The trees have a large surface area and a porous structure
that allows more oxygen to be pulled in to feed the fire.
To add to this, festive trees are often placed near
flammable curtains, gifts, furniture, and rugs.
Though both real and artificial trees are very combustible,
artificial trees add another layer of complications as the plastics
mean different burning behaviours, like melting and dripping.
Christmas tree fires caused an average of two deaths, 12
injuries, and $10 million in property damage per year.
Almost one in five of those fires were
caused by the decorative lights on the tree.
In 20 to 25% of all cases, a heat source, like a candle
or electrical equipment, was too close to the tree.
These holiday fires also have a high fatality
rate, resulting in death once every 31 incidents.
Even without Christmas trees, festive decorations still
cause several home fires, around 790 of them per year.
Candles are to blame in one third of these incidents,
and cooking was responsible for another 19% of them.
It’s important to be informed and help others
be aware of these dangers to prevent accidents.
In a tragic inferno only last year, a dried out natural
Christmas tree caught fire in a Philadelphia rowhouse
that was home to several relatives of the same family—up
to 18 people lived or stayed there at various times.
The three-story building, located near the Philadelphia
Museum of Art, belonged to the city’s public housing agency.
Inside the home, there were six smoke alarms,
but none of them were actually working.
Most of them were reportedly removed in the time
since the city’s last inspection the year before.
One alarm in a common basement did work, but
by the time it activated, it was too late.
Less than five minutes after the first emergency call,
firefighters were on the scene, but the situation was already dire.
Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel said there was zero
visibility when they arrived, and the temperature at the
ceiling reached almost one thousand degrees Fahrenheit.
The whole building was filled with toxic smoke, which
poses a threat even if someone survives an initial fire.
Firefighters did their utmost to save the family—they found one person
alive inside, but the individual sadly passed away at the scene.
Out of fourteen people in the house, thirteen of them were on the third
floor at the time of the fire, and twelve of them lost their lives.
One man miraculously survived by jumping out of a third-floor window.
The only other survivor was a five-year-old boy
who was on the same floor as the Christmas tree.
After investigating, firefighters discovered that the five-year-old boy
had been playing with a lighter around the time the tree caught fire.
Investigators believe that the lighter was responsible for
the tree catching fire, but didn’t place the blame on anyone.
Unfortunately, due to the various reasons Christmas tree fires
burn so fast, the situation became a disaster within seconds.
Three sisters and nine of their children
perished in the tragic accident, making it the
deadliest fire in Philadelphia in over 100 years.
The Jacksons were lucky that they all survived,
along with their little dog, and were all together.
But they were traumatized, having lost everything they owned,
and their home was damaged by the flames and thick black smoke.
It would be weeks before they could move back, and they had to
stay in a hotel in the meantime, so Nia and Eva were worried
that Santa wouldn’t visit them since they didn’t have a house.
Thankfully, there was an outpouring of support for the
Jacksons, whose friends, family, and community have
brought them food, clothes, and messages of support.
A page for donations was set up to help the Jacksons, and the children
received colouring books and pencils from their school as gifts.
With Christmas coming up, these stories might be a little concerning.
But there’s no need to ditch the trees and decorations
in a panic—we just have to be more careful when
decorating, and remember some important prevention tips.
The first tip concerns the tree itself.
For people who like to decorate their house with real trees, a fresh one
is ideal, as a dried out tree will catch and spread fire quickly–this is
why forest fires are so dangerous during a dry spell without any rain.
Check your tree by combing your fingers through the branches
regularly, and see if the needles stay on or come off really easily.
If they fall off quickly, it means the
tree is dry and it’s time to dispose of it.
Another sign of freshness is sap on the trunk of the tree.
To make sure the tree takes water in well, make a fresh
cut on the stump, or ask the tree vendor to do it.
Once it’s in your home, water it immediately and daily for as long
as it takes in water—a dry tree can go up in flames in less than 10
seconds, and flashover takes only about a minute, but in a well-watered
tree, the flames are contained to one section of burning branches.
Don’t let it go dry, as you can’t return
it back to the same state afterwards.
If you’re going with artificial trees, look for a flame-retardant one.
Though you might be excited and bursting with
holiday cheer, buying a tree too early in the
season means a higher risk of drying out over time.
Similarly, try not to let your tree hang out in your home too long after
the holidays, and take it down sooner rather than later to be safe.
Experts recommend keeping live trees for a maximum of four weeks.
An important factor is the placement and arrangement of the tree.
Decorations, electrical devices, heat sources, and surrounding furniture
should all be carefully considered when putting up a Christmas tree.
It should be placed away from heating
ducts, fireplaces, and other heat sources.
As for decorations, candles on or near the tree are a big no-no.
And if you’ve been hanging onto the same fairy lights since
the 80’s, consider that it might not be the safest option.
For electric lights, LEDs are safer and they don’t produce lots of heat.
No matter what style you choose, check all the strings
of lights carefully before you hang them, as they can
have water damage or signs of chewing from rodents.
Any frayed, chewed, or cracked cords should be thrown
away, and loose and broken bulbs need to be replaced.
Pay attention to the manufacturer’s instructions for wattage,
and the maximum number of lights that can be connected.
Also remember not to tuck the cords under a tree
skirt, area rug, or anything else flammable.
Though it might be pretty, it’s best not to leave the lights on
unattended, so turn them off before going to bed or leaving the house.
As for the other decorations, try not to use pinecones
or anything else flammable that could fuel a fire.
Finally, always make sure you have well-placed smoke detectors that are
working well, and a fire safety plan in mind in case the worst happens.
The holidays are a time when people feel extra cozy
and safe in their homes, and the last thing on your
mind is the possibility of a terrible accident.
But if you follow some simple precautions and take
appropriate safety measures, you can keep yourself from
worrying too much and just relax and enjoy the season.
Unless you’re me—the holidays always give me a
headache, and it doesn’t help that everyone always
tells me I have something called “resting Grinch face.”
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