WESTFIELD—Now that the holiday season is over, the city and state Fire Marshal want to make sure residents get rid of their Christmas trees promptly.
Christmas trees that are not disposed of properly are a fire risk, whether they are stored indoors or outdoors. January has had incidents of trees causing fire in the past across the state, and the City’s Fire Marshal and Department of Public Works want you to take advantage of the many dates available for free tree pick-up.
“Dried out Christmas trees ignite easily and the fire spreads quickly,” Westfield Fire deputy chief Eric Bishop said in an email. “They should not be stored next to the home or in the garage.”
Westfield Fire deputy chief Eric Bishop
State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey addressed this in a recent press release, noting that no matter how the tree is cared for, chances are it is a fire hazard.
“Whether your tradition is to put up your Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving or just before Christmas, even a well-watered tree quickly dries out and becomes a danger,” Ostroskey wrote.
Though no fires from Christmas trees were listed locally from the Fire Marshal’s office, there were several across the state over the past few years, with most happening in January around this time of the year.
Of the January fires, two occurred indoors and one occurred outdoors. An additional fire listed that occurred in April had occurred outdoors, as well.
The two indoor fires caused nearly $80,000 in estimated damages according to the press release, and one of the fires injured two people.
The Westfield Department of Public Works provides free curbside tree pick-up beginning next Monday, Jan. 9, through Friday, Jan. 20. The pick-ups will occur during the normal trash pick-ups, so no special scheduling is required. However, weather and other unforeseen delays may inhibit the pick-ups, so be sure to check with the department for any delays.
If curbside pick-up is not preferred or you cannot get the tree out in time, you can also bring your tree to two different department locations—Twiss Street transfer station at 37 Twiss Street and the public works highway garage at 12 Ponders Hollow Road, both in Westfield. The Twiss Street station is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., except holidays. For the Ponders Hollow location, it is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., except holidays. All tree pick-up and drop-off is free of charge.
