Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma

Christmas trees can catch on fire

A house fire that occurred in the 3100 block of Gird Road this week was caused by an unattended fire in the fireplace that caught the nearby Christmas tree.

Although minimal, officials estimate the cost of structural and smoke damage at $50,000.

North County Fire says that it is extremely important that Christmas trees be watered every day. It is not uncommon for trees to need two gallons of plain water each day.

They should be watered twice a day so that the water reservoir never runs dry. If the water runs out a tree will form a sap seal on the bottom of the trunk within ten minutes to hold what water it has left inside.

Once the sap seal is formed, no water will be able to get back into the tree unless the bottom of the trunk is cut off to let the water back in. This is why it is so important to ensure the bottom of the trunk is always in water, so the sap seal can never form.

A common ignition source of tree fires is electricity. If the tree is not properly watered, even small lighting can provide enough heat to cause a fire. So, everyone should shut off tree lights when going to bed or leaving home, keep trees away from heat sources that can increase drying (fireplaces and heater vents, for instance) and keep smoking materials and candles away from trees.

If a tree should catch fire, leave the building immediately. Fire can consume an entire room in less than one minute.

 

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