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#148532 11/13/05 11:48 PM
Joined: Oct 2000
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Check this out, pretty scary !

- Hank, HCE
Quote
Holiday Tree Fire Hazards

Water That Tree!

What's a holiday party or even the traditional Christmas morning scene itself without a beautifully decorated tree? If your household, as those of more than 33 million other American homes, includes a natural tree in its festivities, take to heart the sales person's suggestion --"Keep the tree watered." That's good advice and not just to create a fragrant indoor winter wonderland atmosphere. Christmas trees account for 400 fires annually, resulting in 10 deaths, 80 injuries and more than $15 million in property damage. Typically shorts in electrical lights or open flames from candles, lighters or matches start tree fires. Well-watered trees are not a problem. Dry and neglected trees can be.

The video link (below), from the Building and Fire Research Laboratory of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, illustrates what happens when fire touches a dry tree. Within three seconds of ignition, the dry Scotch pine is completely ablaze. At five seconds, the fire extends up the tree and black smoke with searing gases streaks across the ceiling. Fresh air near the floor feeds the fire. The sofa, coffee table and the carpet ignite prior to any flame contact. Within 40 seconds "flashover" occurs -- that's when an entire room erupts into flames, oxygen is depleted and dense, deadly toxic smoke engulfs the scene. 40 SECONDS!!!!!

Wet trees tell a different story. For comparative purposes, the NIST fire safety engineers selected a green Scotch pine, had it cut in their presence, had an additional two inches cut from the trunk's bottom, and placed the tree in a stand with at least a 7.6 liter water capacity. The researchers maintained the Scotch pine's water on a daily basis. A single match could not ignite the tree. A second attempt in which an electric current ignited an entire matchbook failed to fire the tree. Finally they applied an open flame to the tree using a propane torch. The branches ignited briefly, but self-extinguished when the researchers removed the torch from the branches.

As NIST fire safety engineers say: REMEMBER, A WET TREE IS A SAFE TREE!
see >> video (1828k .WMV file)

Arc Flash PPE Clothing, LOTO & Insulated Tools
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
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Great call Hank!!,
There have been a number of "Fire Incidents" here in New Zealand over the last few years with trees drying out.
Couple that with a bad connection at one of the lamp-holders on the Xmas lights and you have an instant powder-keg.
The NZ Fire Service has done extensive trials here during "house-burns" and the numbers that you have submitted, ring very true with what we have here.
One other thing, is make sure the lights on your tree this year, have the lamps well seated into the bases.
For some wierd reason, these fires start at night.
Don't leave your Xmas lights on overnight.
Having a tree like this catch fire, is like having a stack of kindling in the corner of your living room.

Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 869
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R
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Thanks for that video clip. I will show that my mates at the Titirangi local volunteer firebrigade too. It's amazing how quick those fires develope in a dry pine tree.
We take a lot for granted. We have a plastic tree at home with electric lights on a timeclock, on the whole night but close to a smoke alarm. We were thinking to have a real pine tree next year (the smell is beautifull) but it may have to be one with roots which hopefully doesn't go too dry on its needles and be an extreme fire hazard.
But I remember when I was a kid in Holland we had a real pine tree at home with electric lights but on Christmas day we had real candles going in the tree.
Luckily our house didn't burn down otherwise I wouldn't write this reply.
Cheers Ray.


The product of rotation, excitation and flux produces electricty.

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