If you use a wood stove or fireplace, chances are good that some of that Christmas wrapping paper and those gift boxes have been set aside to help start a fire.
North Bay Fire Chief Jason Whiteley says not so fast.
“I would not be burning the boxes and wrapping paper. Especially the wrapping paper, it burns a little differently. If you are going to burn it, and I know some people are, burn it in small batches, don’t burn lots of it at one time."
As extreme cold weather conditions continue to linger, many homeowners are turning to their wood burning appliances as an added source of heat.
“One of the by-products of any kind of burning is creosote which starts to coat the inside of your chimney, and when you get a coating of creosote in your chimney, then you have a chance of having a chimney fire," explained Whiteley.
Fire officials advise people to burn clean wood.
"One of the secrets of having a good fire is burning clean material, making sure you get the fire up to a good heat so it actually starts to burn off the creosote or doesn't allow the creosote to accumulate, so you have it at a good operating temperature," said Whiteley.
"The other thing is making sure that any products that are flammable should be kept away from the fireplace, so if you’re storing logs, don’t’ store them too close. Keep the door to your fireplace or wood stove closed, and make sure when you are opening the door, you have good non-combustible flooring around it, in case something falls out or a spark happens to shoot out."
Most Christmas trees have been up for a few weeks by now, with many staying up early into the new year. Experts say a natural tree, cared for properly, can last up to four weeks, but if it hasn't been regularly watered, a dry tree can go up in flames in a matter of seconds.
See YouTube Video Christmas Tree Video - Watered Tree Vrs Dry Tree
“Anytime you have a live Christmas tree in your house, we want to make sure you keep lots of space around anything that is a potential heat source or ignition source. So obviously we don’t want you using candles around a Christmas tree. We want you to keep it away from heaters or any other thing that could potentially spark a fire,” said Whiteley.
Although the tree may be up for only a few more days, it is still important to keep it well watered because as Whiteley explains, as the tree dries out, it becomes a 'little tinderbox, that could go up very quickly.'
