Water your Christmas tree

It is fun to decorate for the winter holidays, but holiday decorations can increase your risk of a home fire. As you deck the halls this season, be fire smart.

When you’re decorating with live trees, make sure you keep the tree watered. If a dry tree comes in contact with a flame, it can catch on fire in fewer than 10 seconds and spread quickly throughout your home. Take a minute to watch this video which shows the difference between a dry and watered tree, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZk4vIXCnc8

Here are a few tips to keep your holiday decorations bright and safe:

Choose the freshest tree you can find. Check to see if the needles stay when you gently pull on a branch.

After making a fresh cut on the trunk and placing the tree in a stand, fill the stand’s water basin. Make sure you water your tree every day. Keep electrical cords and lights away from the water.

Choose holiday decorations that are flame resistant or flame retardant.

Choose holiday lights with a label from an approved testing laboratory, such as UL, and throw away any frayed or damaged light strands.

Place your tree at least three feet from heat registers, space heaters, and fireplaces.

If you decorate with candles, make sure they are at least three feet away from anything that can burn.

Consider using battery-operated flameless candles, which can look, smell and feel like real candles.

Learn more about holiday fire safety on the USFA website. Follow USFA on Twitter at @usfire and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usfire.