Christmas tree fire damages Georgetown home

Georgetown firefighters say a Christmas tree fire gutted the living room of a home. It happened at a moblie home on Reservoir Street.

By WBTW
Published: December 21, 2009

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Georgetown firefighters say a Christmas tree fire gutted the living room of a home Friday night.

It happened at a moblie home on Reservoir Street.

The man who lives in the home said he bought the live tree on Tuesday, and decorated it that night.

No one was at home, he said, when it caught fire on Friday night.

Firefighters say if you have a live Christmas tree in your home, here are some steps you can follow to make sure your family and your home are safe this holiday season.

* Always check to make sure there is enough water for your tree. “Just because the tree looks green or looks fresh, doesn’t necessarily mean it is,“ said Assistant Chief Bill Johnson with the Georgetown Fire Department. “It can dry out very quickly.“

Chief Johnson recommends you place your hand in the tree stand every day to make sure that there is still water in it.

* Johnson also said to check all of the lights and cords as you decorate the tree. He said not to use any cords that are frayed or broken.

* Never place the tree too close to heating devices or open flames. “That helps dry them out and ignite them, and you want to stay at least three feet away from any combustilble sources,“ said Johnson.

Firefighters remind you to make sure you have working smoke detectors in every room of your home, and that the batteries are working in those smoke detectors.