Christmas Tree Fires: 44% Involve Lights or Wiring, NFPA Says

When a Christmas tree catches fire, the cause is far more often a light string or a wire than a candle. In the National Fire Protection Association's most recent full report on the subject, electrical distribution and lighting equipment was involved in 44 percent of home Christmas tree fires. The fix is cheap and takes about ten minutes: look at every strand before it goes on the tree.

The lights you pulled out of last year's box are the most likely thing to start a tree fire. Inspect them first.

What the numbers actually say

The NFPA report, published in December 2022, covers 2016 to 2020. In that period US fire departments responded to an estimated 160 home fires per year that began with a Christmas tree. Those fires caused an average of two civilian deaths, 11 civilian injuries and $12 million in direct property damage a year.

That is a small slice of the national fire problem. NFPA puts it at less than 0.1 percent of reported home fires. It matters anyway, because a tree is only in the house for a few weeks. The same report notes that the number has trended down over the past two decades: from a high of 280 fires in 2007 to a low of 130 in both 2016 and 2017, then 180 in 2020.

Where the fires start

NFPA's breakdown of what was involved in those fires is the useful part, because it tells you where to look:

Source: NFPA, 2016 to 2020 annual averages.

Looking at the factors that led to ignition, electrical failure or malfunction accounted for 34 percent, and a heat source placed too close to the tree for another 20 percent. Together that is more than half of all tree fires.

Two more details from the same report. Three-quarters of tree fires happened in December or January, and NFPA explains why the second month counts: the longer a natural tree stays up after Christmas, the drier it gets and the more easily it ignites. And about two out of five fires started in the living room, family room or den, which is also where most of the injuries occurred.

The 6-step check before you plug anything in

The U.S. Fire Administration's holiday guidance is short and specific. Here it is, turned into a routine:

1. Plug in every strand on the floor first. Do it before you climb a ladder or wrap a tree. Dead sections and flickering are easier to find on a living-room floor.
2. Look along the whole wire. The USFA says to inspect lights every year and throw away strands with frayed or pinched wires. A cracked socket or bare copper is also a reason to bin it.
3. Read the label. UL Solutions says light strings carry a green holographic label if they are for indoor use only and a red one if they are rated for indoor or outdoor use. Do not hang an indoor-only string on a porch.
4. Follow the maker's limit for strands. The USFA says to follow the manufacturer's instructions on how many strands can be connected together. The number is printed on the package or the plug tag, and it differs by product. If you cannot find it, that is a reason to replace the set.
5. Give the tree room. Keep the tree at least 3 feet from fireplaces, radiators, space heaters, candles and heat vents, as the USFA advises, and make sure it does not block an exit.
6. Water it daily, and take it down on time. The USFA notes that a dry tree burns very hot and very fast. Remove it after Christmas or once it dries out.

If your tree stands near a space heater, our guide to space heater safety covers the distances. And since fires peak in the colder months, it is a good week to check the dates on your smoke and CO alarms.

Used and hand-me-down lights: what to look for

Lights are one of the most common things people pass along or pick up secondhand, and there is nothing wrong with that if you inspect them properly. A few extra checks apply to a set you did not buy new:

• Is there a safety label? A listing mark from a recognized lab, such as UL, means representative samples were tested. UL Solutions says its mark covers the risk of fire, electric shock and other hazards, and that strings are evaluated under the UL/ANSI 588 standard for seasonal and holiday decorative lighting. No mark and no brand on the plug is a no.
• Is the cord stiff, sticky or brittle? Old insulation that cracks when you bend it is done.
• Are there mismatched replacement bulbs? A wrong-wattage bulb in a string is a heat problem.
• Is the plug loose, bent or discoloured? Brown marks around the prongs mean it has already overheated.
• Does it come with the original instructions or packaging? If not, you cannot confirm the strand limit. Treat that as one set per outlet and no daisy-chaining.

The same logic applies to other secondhand electrical items. Our checklists for used power tools and used dryers use the same cord-first routine.

A note on candles and everything else

The USFA says to keep candles at least 12 inches from anything that can burn, use stable holders, and consider battery-operated flameless candles. NFPA's tree report points to the same idea from another angle: a heat source too close to the tree was behind one in five tree fires.

The cheapest swap in the house is real candles for flameless ones near the tree, the mantel and the windowsill.

Bottom line

A tree fire is rare, but the pattern is consistent. Lights, wiring and cords are involved in 44 percent of them, and heat too close accounts for another large share. Check each strand on the floor, match it to indoor or outdoor use, respect the strand limit, keep the tree 3 feet from heat, water it, and take it down when it dries out. The same rules apply whether you live in DC, Maryland or Virginia.

If you are picking up lights, extension cords or other seasonal gear this month, browse what is on offer at /shop, /buy-now and /auctions, and read /help for how the shop works. Every item still gets the same inspection from you before it goes up.

Know someone who is about to unpack the holiday box? Pass this along. It might save them a bad evening.