photo by: Contributed

A simulation living room to demonstrate how quickly a live Christmas Tree can burn.

The holiday season is filled with joy, gift-giving and decorations, including live Christmas trees, and on Monday the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical department shared a few tips to prevent fires.

Live Christmas trees may be cut from the ground but they still need water to avoid drying out so, keep the tree’s base full of water, according to a post on social media from the department. Next, keep the tree at least three feet away from all heat sources.

When decorating the tree, be sure to check any Christmas lights for damaged or frayed wires. Turn off the lights when there won’t be anyone around to monitor the lights and at night. Try to use non-flammable decorations. Dispose of the tree as soon as possible after the season when it becomes dry, the post said.

The post was accompanied by a video from the the Heart of America Fire Marshals group of a live tree catching fire as part of a simulation. The tree and the small room it is in are destroyed in less than a minute after catching fire.

photo by: Contributed

A video shared by Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical shows how quickly a fire from a live Christmas tree can consume a room.

photo by: Contributed

A burnt room is pictured showing the aftermath of a live Christmas tree after catching fire.