Prevent Terrifying Holiday Fires

So I'm standing in a "burn tower" ... it's dark, it's smoky, and I'm wearing 80 lbs of gear. Sounds scary enough doesn't it. Well add on top of that the fact that we're going to start a fire and burn a Christmas tree to the ground on LIVE TV! Yikes! I'm just hoping that nothing goes seriously wrong and that I come back with my eyebrows in-tact.

The 'burn tower'

I had wanted to do this on the show to illustrate just how fast these suckers can go up. It's terrifying. South King Fire and Rescue were nice enough to pull this together for us. Plus, firefighters LOVE to burn stuff.

I've seen all of the videos online but when you're in the middle of the fire, the smoke and noise overwhelms you. SO SCARY! This was nerve wracking just because we were going to do it 'live' - there were no do-overs. The fire team was awesome and they lit the tree with a huge blow torch. These trees were still kind of fresh (it takes a bit to dry out a tree) but they still burned.

The incredible firefighters - check out my gear ... it seriously weighed like 80 lbs




Deputy Chief Gordie Olson and PIO Kirsti Weaver

Things went off just as planned. Thank goodness. The tree burned, Layne and I gave viewers tips on how to prevent this from happening and what every family needs to know (see below).

CLICK HERE TO WATCH US BURN A TREE TO THE GROUND ON LIVE TV

The poor, needlessly murdered tree. Sorry little guy. You fulfilled your Christmas destiny.

This is where burned trees end-up

Here's the deal:

1. WATER YOUR TREE DAILY

2. Make a fresh cut at the bottom of your tree when you get it home (allows it to drink better)

3. Never decorate with old, broken, or torn lights

4. Keep heat sources, like candles, at least 3 ft from your tree

5. ALWAYS have working smoke detectors

6. Have an evacuation plan and practice it

Other things to be aware of at this time of year

1. Never deep fry a turkey in the house or garage (do it in the backyard)

2. NEVER put a wet or frozen turkey in the deep fryer (exploding turkey is very dangerous ...lol)

3. Use flame less candles instead of real ones

4. Use new, LED lights if possible. Always make sure they aren't old or broken.

WISHING YOU A HAPPY AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON :-))