WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington’s Department of Public Works will begin collecting Christmas trees at curbside on Tuesday, January 3 through Friday, January 13.
Residents should remove all decorations and plastic wrapping from their trees and place them curbside on their regular trash pickup day. Note that trash pickup is delayed one day during the week of Monday, January 2 due New Year’s Day being observed on Monday.
Pick-up may be delayed by weather and other work demands on the DPW.
A Word Of Caution From The State Fire Marshal
In a recent press release, Massachusetts State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey urged residents to properly dispose of their Christmas trees.
“Start the new year off right by promptly disposing of your Christmas tree,” said Ostroskey. “A dried out Christmas tree will ignite quickly and spread a fire very fast.”
“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,” stressed Ostroskey. “Whatever your tradition, trees should be taken down promptly, and disposed of properly.”
In the past few years, Ostroskey noted there have been several fires in Massachusetts involving Christmas trees that lingered too long in homes.
- On January 9, 2012, the Lunenburg Fire Department was called to a fire in a 4-unit condominium. Smoking materials ignited the living room sofa and spread to the dried out Christmas tree next to the couch. A single sprinkler head activated and controlled the fire. Smoke alarms were present and operated but no one was home at the time of the fire in the unit where the fire started. The dog was rescued. People were home in some of the other units but no one was hurt. None of the occupants were displaced and damages from this fire were estimated at $27,000.
- On January 12, 2014, the Walpole Fire Department was called to a fire in a single-family home. The Christmas tree in the living room had ignited and someone had tried to push it out a nearby sliding door, where it got stuck. The fire soon spread to the roof joists. Two residents were injured. Smoke alarms were present and alerted the occupants to the fire. Firefighters were able to quickly knock down the fire. The home did not have sprinklers and damages were estimated to be $50,000.
Ostroskey also cautioned that Christmas trees can provide an easy fuel for arsonists, citing several Massachusetts examples where abandoned trees have been attractive to vandals.
- On January 3, 2015, the Somerville Fire Department responded to an outdoor Christmas tree fire on the side of the road. Someone had intentionally lit the tree on fire.
- On April 11, 2015, the Stow Fire Department responded to an outdoor Christmas tree fire in the back yard of a single-family home. The homeowner was burning the tree but it was out when the firefighters arrived. The crew advised the homeowner about outdoor burning regulations and wet down the surrounding area so there was no chance of the fire spreading. Open burning can only occur with a permit and between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
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