Sacramento fire departments demonstrate holiday fire risks with live tree burn
ONGOING ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROJECT. WELL, THE SACRAMENTO FIRE DEPARTMENT AND METRO FIRE DEPARTMENTS HOSTED AN EVENT TO HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE FIRE DANGERS THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. CREWS DID A LIVE DEMO OF A CHRISTMAS TREE CATCHING FIRE TO SHOW JUST HOW QUICKLY THIS CAN HAPPEN. KCRA 3’S LETICIA ORDAZ SHOWS US THE FLAMES ERUPTING AT MCCLELLAN AND HAS THIS SAFETY MESSAGE FOR FAMILIES. IT’S A BIG SAFETY MESSAGE OUT HERE IN SACRAMENTO COUNTY TODAY. IN FACT, WE’RE ALREADY SEEING THAT TREE ON FIRE. CAN YOU CHECK OUT THE FLAMES RIGHT THERE? WELL, PRETTY INCREDIBLE SCENE. JUST HOW FAST A CHRISTMAS TREE CAN CATCH FIRE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON. AND JUSTIN SYLVIA HERE WITH US NOW TO EXPLAIN THE DANGERS. AND WHAT’S THE MESSAGE FOR THE COMMUNITY TODAY, JUST TO SEE HOW FAST THESE CHRISTMAS TREES CAN GO UP. WHAT WE DID WAS WE STAGED A FAKE FIREPLACE RIGHT NEXT TO IT. A LOT OF PEOPLE SET THEIR TREES UP NEXT TO A FIREPLACE, WHICH REALLY DRIES THESE TREES OUT. THESE FRESH TREES HAVE BEEN CUT SEVERAL MONTHS BACK, SO THEY’RE ALREADY DRY WHEN YOU BUY THEM. SO MESSAGES TO KEEP THEM WATERED, KEEP THEM AWAY FROM THESE FLAMES, KEEP CANDLES AWAY FROM THEM. CHECK YOUR LIGHTS. MAKE SURE YOU DON’T HAVE ANY FRAYED WIRES ON THOSE LIGHTS. ANY TYPE OF IGNITION SOURCE THAT COULD CAUSE A FIRE. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T PUT THESE CHRISTMAS TREES DOWN WHEN CHRISTMAS IS OVER. THEY KEEP IT UP UNTIL JANUARY. SOMETIMES DAYS AFTER JANUARY. ABSOLUTELY. SO OUR MESSAGING IS ONCE CHRISTMAS IS OVER. I KNOW YOUR TREE MIGHT LOOK VERY BEAUTIFUL IN YOUR HOUSE, BUT GET IT OUTSIDE. GET IT AWAY FROM YOUR HOUSE BECAUSE THEY DRY OUT VERY RAPIDLY AND THEY POSE A VERY BIG DANGER. WHAT ARE THE COMMON IGNITION SOURCES FOR HOUSE FIRES THAT YOU RESPOND TO WHEN A CHRISTMAS TREE IS INVOLVED? SO WE JUST HAD ONE LAST WEEK THAT INJURED A FIVE YEAR OLD BOY, AND THAT WAS LIKELY TO BE CAUSED BY A SPACE HEATER THAT WAS NEAR A CHRISTMAS TREE. SO THESE SPACE HEATERS, WE HAD ANOTHER FIRE LAST WEEK THAT WAS A FATALITY. AND THAT POTENTIALLY WAS CAUSED BY SPACE HEATERS AS WELL. SO GET THOSE SPACE HEATERS AWAY FROM THESE TREES, GET ANY IGNITION SOURCE AWAY FROM THESE TREES. BECAUSE LIKE YOU CAN SEE BEHIND US, THIS THING GOES UP LIKE A BOMB AND JUST KEEP THEM WATERED EVERY SINGLE DAY. I KNOW THAT’S HARD TO DO. YES, EVERY SINGLE DAY. YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS WATER IN THAT TREE STAND. EVERY TIME YOU LOOK AT IT. AND IF THERE’S NOT, ADD MORE. AND THERE’S ALWAYS A SAFETY PRECAUTION. EVEN WHEN YOU DO THESE DEMOS, BECAUSE IT’S PRETTY MUCH GETTING OUT OF CONTROL HERE. JUST SHOWING US THESE AMAZING FLAMES RIGHT HERE. YEAH. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE OF A STRUCTURE. THIS IS VERY MUCH A REAL SIMULATION. WE HAVE FURNITURE, WE HAVE PACKAGES. AND THIS IS WHAT COULD POTENTIALLY HAPPEN. SO IF YOU DO SEE A FIRE THAT’S HAPPENING LIKE THIS, GET OUT OF YOUR HOUSE. MAKE SURE EVERYONE’S OUT AND CALL 911. JUST A CONCERN ABOUT PROPERTY. IT’S ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT LIVES. EXACTLY. THAT’S OUR MAIN FOCUS IS TO GET ALL SAVABLE LIFE OUT OF THAT BUILDING. AND THEN WE WORRY ABOUT THE PROPERTY THAT’S INSIDE. WOW. THIS IS INCREDIBLE. AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS FIRE IS RAGING ON HERE. JUST A DEMONSTRATION OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN. YES. INSIDE THERE WERE PRESENTS. THERE WAS A TREE. AND NOW THAT ALL OF THAT HAS GONE UP IN FLAMES. SO PLEASE BE CAREFUL. THIS HOLIDAY SEASO
Sacramento fire departments demonstrate holiday fire risks with live tree burn
Updated: 1:03 PM PST Dec 17, 2025
The Sacramento Fire Department and Sac Metro Fire hosted an event at McClellan Airport to demonstrate the fire dangers of the holiday season, featuring a live demonstration of a Christmas tree catching fire to show how quickly it can happen.Firefighters hope the demonstration serves as a wake-up call for families, with the goal of saving lives and property during the holiday season. Fire officials also emphasized the importance of having working smoke alarms and a home escape plan. They advised against leaving meals unattended in the stove or oven to prevent potential fire hazards.Watch the video player above for a list of things to consider when decorating for the holidays. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
The Sacramento Fire Department and Sac Metro Fire hosted an event at McClellan Airport to demonstrate the fire dangers of the holiday season, featuring a live demonstration of a Christmas tree catching fire to show how quickly it can happen.
Firefighters hope the demonstration serves as a wake-up call for families, with the goal of saving lives and property during the holiday season.
Fire officials also emphasized the importance of having working smoke alarms and a home escape plan. They advised against leaving meals unattended in the stove or oven to prevent potential fire hazards.
Watch the video player above for a list of things to consider when decorating for the holidays.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel