Beware of Christmas Tree Fire!

Vienna, 21 December 2010

Beware of Christmas Tree Fire!

Every year, there are hundreds of reported fires during Christmas in Austria. Most fires are caused by unattended burning candles on advent wreaths and Christmas trees. Household and/or building insurances might reduce the financial damage, nevertheless caution is advised.

There are hundreds of annual fires at the turn of the year that is to say between 24 December and 6 January of the subsequent year. The chance that the fire brigade has to be called is about four times higher than during the rest of the year. Christmas trees and advent wreaths are likely to dry out quickly when they are kept in heated rooms and thus they rapidly catch fire. There are some simple precautions that can be taken to prevent severe damages.

Which insurance covers?
Property damage that might be caused by burning advent wreaths or Christmas trees is often covered by household or home insurance.

Household insurance covers insurance e.g. against fire and relates to all objects pertaining to a household, which are listed in the insurance policy. In addition, all costs due to associated actions such as extinguishing and cleaning of the building are covered (up to a specific sum agreed upon). Basically, contents of a household are insured at the replacement value (replacement costs), provided that all objects are still in use and that their actual value represents at least 40 % of the replacement value. Apart from that the insurance company will only compensate for its current (actual) value, which depends on the condition, age and wear of the item. Damaged wall papers, paint works or floorings are always compensated at the current value. In case of damages that can be repaired, the insurance company will pay the costs of repair.

Please note! Even though a basic insurance cover exists, the handling of burning candles requires certain preventive measures. In case of proven gross negligence, e.g. when lighted candles on the Christmas tree have been left unattended and thus have caused fire, the insurance company may be released from payment.

Household insurances additionally provide private liability insurance. It covers fire damages caused by the policyholder or his/her children (not deliberately) in an external household or building.

Building insurance covers direct damages on the building itself, e.g. on the front of a building or in the hallway (staircase). Even though a building is damaged due to a fire in a house next door, the damage should be reported to the insurer immediately, as new painting of the building’s front side might be subject to the building insurance of the owner of the house.

Safety guidelines

The following guidelines help you to prevent fires and their inconvenient consequences:

When purchasing a Christmas tree check for freshness, keep it in a cold environment and prevent it from drying out as dry needles catch fire more rapidly.
The use of electric candles is the safest way. If you can’t do without wax candles, don’t decorate the backside of the tree, which is more difficult to observe, and keep the tree away from curtains and walls.
Never leave a tree with lighted candles unattended.
Keep Christmas decoration away from candles.
When setting up the tree, be sure to keep the stand filled with water. Fix the tree properly to prevent children and pets from knocking over the tree. Prevent children from getting to close to a tree with burning candles.
When using candle holders be sure that they are made of non-combustible material. Apart from that check regularly whether candle holders are still fixed properly. Self-extinguishing candles that provide specific holdings for candlewicks are available in specialised shops.
Be sure to have a fire extinguisher close to the tree, or at least a bucket filled with water.
In case the fire can not be extinguished, leave the room as quickly as possible, close all doors leading to the area of fire, call the fire brigade and wait outside the house.

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