Prince George, B.C. – Christmas trees may be nice to look at but they can also be a safety hazard.

“We have a lot of concerns with Christmas trees,” says fire prevention officer Marcel Profeit with Prince George Fire Rescue.

“Christmas trees add fuel into your room or your home and you really need to be as careful and as safe as possible around them.”

He says potential hazards include electrical lights or lightbulbs that may be too hot or if you place a tree too close to a fireplace, heat register or radiators.

“Things like that can heat the tree up. And in the case of a natural tree the longer it is in a heated house the drier it’s going to get.”

If you do choose a natural tree he recommends taking the tree down as soon as possible after Christmas and to remove it from your house.

“And if you can’t dispose of it right away store it away from your house. Not up against it or in your garage or the carport. Keep it away as far as possible.”

Profeit says artificial trees are safer but notes older one’s aren’t CSA (Canadian Standards Association) approved for fire retardants.

He says another potential hazard is a lot of the new trees come pre-lit which can become damaged when they’re put up and put away each year.

“So it’s important to take a close look at them to make sure there’s nothing frayed or broken.”

Profeit says candles present another safety concern noting “you want to make sure you keep them as far away from the trees as possible.”

He says he’s been to a fire that started around a Christmas tree and notes it’s devastating for everybody involved.

“It’s the time of year for celebrating so to have to deal with the tragedy of a house fire is not good for anyone.”

And while there’s no statistics on the number of fires caused by Christmas trees in Canada The National Fire Protection Association (U.S.) reports that there is an estimated annual average of 210 home structure fires that begin with Christmas trees in the United States (2002-2005).

The NFPA  says those fires caused an average of 24 deaths, 27 injuries, and $13.3 million in direct property damage per year.