Nashville Fire demonstrates Christmas tree fire hazards

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    NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) — Nationwide sales of real Christmas trees are up by nearly 30 percent this year.

With real trees in more homes this year the Nashville Fire Department wants to make sure everyone remembers basic fire safety information.

This morning the fire department will demonstrate how much of a fire hazard Christmas trees can become when they aren’t maintained properly.

Firefighters will intentionally set a tree on fire to show how quickly things can take a turn for the worse.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, Christmas tree fires were responsible for an average of 160 fires per year since 2014 to 2018.

But it’s not just the tree that fire officials want you to maintain to prevent a fire — they say other holiday decorations on or around the tree can spark a fire as well.

Fire officials say more than 22 percent of Christmas tree fires had some type of heat source, like a candle or an appliance that was too close.

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