LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — It's that weird week between Christmas and New Years and a lot of us want to squeeze in an extra week of holiday spirit with our decorations still up. But Little Rock fire marshals might disagree saying dead trees in your home are a safety hazard.
Fire Marshal Mandrell Howell said if a dried out tree catches fire, "It will set your house on fire in less than a minute."
That's why he says if you chopped down your real own fir or spruce it might be time to un-deck your halls. "If it's been sitting up, it's dried out. And so it will ignite."
But there are some precautions you can take if you still want a few extra days of that real-tree scent, adding "Take the lights off. Make sure that it's not by anything combustible," like an open fire or space heater.
And he clarified that his advice doesn't just apply to the real thing, but artificial trees too. "If you light up factory on fire or a artificial tree on fire, you it could be out of out of control," Howell said.
He also shared that decorations aren't the only way to extend the holiday season and suggested, "If you wanted to keep the spirit of Christmas alive, then we'd like for you to take those trees down to Game and Fish," Howell said.
Arkansas Game and Fish has a program for when a tree leaves your home, it can become an underwater home.
"We would love for you to use your natural Christmas tree to create some fish habitat!" Trey Reid Assistant Chief of Communications for Arkansas Game and Fish added.
For over 20 years, Arkansas Game and Fish has set up tree drop off locations for people to help the department build habitats or for you to have the option to build one yourself.
"These drop off sites are kind of like the old, the leave a penny take a penny dish at the convenience store," Reid explained. "This is a really good way for folks to get involved hands on conservation practice to create good fish habitat and better fishing across Arkansas."
More information on drop off sites can be found on Arkansas Game and Fish's website.