Firefighters respond to Christmas tree fire
By Suzanne Werre
Editor
The Underwood Fire, Ambulance and Rescue Squad responded to a report of a Christmas tree on fire at a residence on Marion Drive Wednesday, at around 2:15 p.m. By the time the firefighters arrived at the home, the tree had been removed from the house by the owner, and it was sitting outside the home.
“It was outside – he had already taken it out,” commented Underwood Fire Dept. Chief Bob Hovdenes.
The firefighters did douse the evergreen tree with water as a precautionary measure, but it was pretty much out already, he added.
Hovdenes noted that the fire appeared to be limited to just the Christmas tree, and there didn’t appear to be any damage to the interior of the house other than smoke damage. He said the source could not be determined at that time.
Hovdenes said the homeowner was “very fortunate” that he was home and was able to drag the tree outside right away. “It could have accelerated pretty fast.”
The home was checked for hot spots within the walls, noted Hovdenes, but there were none.
