Kansas City, Missouri resident Rick Cline remembers his chimney fire in January of 2011 that occurred when he burned his Christmas tree in the fireplace. Rick, who is an independent contractor, chopped the tree in three pieces and placed one of the pieces on a burning fire in the fireplace. "The tree immediately went up in flames, and I heard a loud whooshing sound from the flue area. I ran outside to see flames shooting out the top of the chimney and knew then I had made a big mistake," said Cline. Rick said he felt lucky that the fire was contained inside the chimney, but it caused $26,000 in damages to the chimney and fireplace, which had to be rebuilt.
Each year chimney fires occur when Christmas trees are burned in fireplaces or wood stoves. Live Christmas trees are usually very dry by the time they are taken down, and burning a tree in a fireplace or wood stove can cause a dangerous chimney fire, which can lead to a house fire.
According to the National Fire Protection Association there were an estimated 24.000 reported home structure fires involving fireplaces and chimneys in 2009 (the latest statistics available), 3 deaths, 27 injuries and $116.7 million in property damage. While chimney fires caused by Christmas trees are rare, they should be avoided because of the possibility of a very intense and dangerous fire.
Dry pine is extremely flammable, has a tendency to burn quickly, and can produce high flames and a lot of sparks. If there is any flammable creosote in a fireplace flue, it can easily ignite from a spark or flame when a tree is burned. A non-creosote chimney fire may also occur due to wood gas buildup that can ignite. According to the Midwest Chimney Safety Council, a chimney fire usually causes damages to the flue and smoke chamber, which can be costly to repair, but if the fire escapes the chimney through holes or gap a structural fire may occur.
Note: The MCSC recommends annual inspection and sweeping by a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep to remove flammable creosote from wood-burning fireplace and stove flues and chimneys.
To dispose of a Christmas tree safely take it to a recycling center, have it hauled off by the trash company, or chop it up in to small 6” x 2” or 3” x 3” pieces to use for kindling only.
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