Flames damaged a home in Riverside on Monday, Dec. 30, after a Christmas tree placed near an electrical outlet caught fire.
Four adults, a child, and two dogs were displaced by the fire, which burned the living room and caused smoke damage to the rest of the home in the 4000 block of Eileen Street, the Riverside Fire Department said in a news release.
Firefighters arrived around 9:45 p.m. to find smoke coming out of the front door. The fire was under control within about eight minutes. One person suffered a minor injury.
The investigation determined that an electrical outlet near the tree arched, triggering a fire in the tree that spread.
Riverside Division Chief Tony Perna said in an interview on Tuesday that trees should be placed at least two feet from outlets. Even if the tree remains in water well after Christmas, he said, it is still drying out and is more susceptible to catching fire.
If the tree is no longer absorbing water, Perna said, that’s a sign to take it down for the season.
