Take care of your Christmas trees, there is a fire hazard

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Now that Christmas is over, you may not be paying as much attention to your Christmas tree.

Christmas trees can become a fire hazard, especially if they are natural trees that require water.

“If you can imagine taking several gallons of gasoline, putting it at the corner of your house, and lighting it on fire, what devastating effect that would be. That’s the exact same thing that a dry Christmas tree is,” said Chief Matthew Tobia of the Harrisonburg Fire Department.

Tobia said that Christmas tree fires are incredibly dangerous and can be fatal.

“Annually, Christmas tree fires cause over 10 million dollars in damage inside homes. We don’t ever, ever want to experience a tragedy like that in this community or any community,” Tobia said.

Tobia added it’s a good idea to get the Christmas trees down as quick as you can, and to make sure the batteries in your smoke detectors are not dead.

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