Christmas tree fire hazard: Prevention tips

The days are getting shorter as Christmas draws nearer. Many households are already starting to prepare for Christmas with candles, advent wreaths and a beautiful Christmas tree lighting up the living room. But these wonderful holiday decorations are also a potential fire hazard. We show you how you can avoid a fire and which insurance can help in case of an accident, and we offer tips on how you can safely decorate your house for Christmas.

What factors increase the risk of fire?

No month sees more fires in Swiss homes and apartments than December. About 50 percent more fires break out in rooms and apartments during December than on the rest of the days of the year. And Christmas Eve and Christmas Day see significantly more fires – AXA receives twice as many fire claims as normal (source: AXA statistics for 2024). The main fire risk comes from unattended candles  – and this doesn’t just mean Christmas tree candles. Advents wreaths often start fires because the pine needles become dried out from being indoors in the dry air. Regular candles can tip over onto pillows and curtains, causing damage. “These days, everybody knows you have to be careful with candles on a Christmas tree. Other candles should never be left unsupervised either. Before leaving a room, you have to put out all the candles,” says Stefan Müller, Head of Property Insurance Claims at AXA. Following this rule could help to prevent many fires.

How you’re insured if a fire breaks out in your home

When it comes to fire and smoke damage, the bills can quickly mount up. The average cost of damage caused by candles is about CHF 6,000. Damages caused by fire and the water from fighting the fire can be covered through a household contents policy. If a house or a property has been damaged, then building insurance will cover it. If your house is in the canton of Geneva, Uri, Schwyz, Ticino, Appenzell Innerhoden, Valais or Obwalden, you are free to choose which company to buy your building insurance from. In the rest of the cantons, you are required to insure your property with your local cantonal building insurance. Damage that you inadvertently cause to third parties – such as if you’re at a Christmas party at your friend’s house and you accidentally knock over a candle that falls onto the carpet and burns a hole in it – is covered by personal liability insurance.

Insurance tip: Update the insured value of your household contents

Do you know if your sum insured still covers your household contents? If your living room furniture is destroyed in a fire, it’s important that the actual value of your household contents matches the sum insured so that the insurance will pay for the entire loss. Our tip is to check the value of your household contents using our household contents calculator (in German) and adjust the value if necessary.

Safety tips to prevent fires

Candles

• Place something suitable underneath them: Make sure to place your candles on something stable that won’t burn, such as a metal plate.
• Advent wreath: Make sure the candles are standing up properly or use a fire-proof metal holder. Make sure the candles are not too close to the branches.
• Christmas tree: If you prefer putting candles on your tree rather than strings of lights, make sure to put the candles in a stable holder and far enough away from the branches.

NB

• Don’t light the candles when the branches of your wreath or your tree are dried out!
• Never leave burning candles unattended. Put out the candles before you leave the room.

Advent wreath

• Buy good quality: A good quality advent wreath will have branches from the lower part of the tree and will be a deep blue-green color, such as branches from noble firs or Nordmann firs. If needles are already falling off or the wreath is no longer deep green, then you should look for a different one.
• Placement: Place the wreath at least 50 centimeters from flammable objects such as upholstered furniture, curtains and books, and make sure it’s not placed in a draft.

Our tip to keep it fresher longer is to place the wreath in a sheltered spot outdoors at night once in a while, such as on your balcony or porch. And lightly misting the branches with water every day will also keep them fresher longer.

Christmas tree

• Add water regularly: Place your tree in water and keep adding water regularly.  
• Position: Make sure to securely fasten your tree in a stand that won’t fall over. Don’t place your tree next to flammable materials such as curtains, furniture, rugs, TVs, etc.
• Decorations: When decorating the tree, pay attention to the materials you use. Cardboard or cotton decorations are not good choices because they are flammable.

Strings of lights

• Check them: Before you hang the lights, carefully check every single bulb. Make sure the cable isn’t damaged and regularly check to make sure they’re all working properly. Also make sure to follow the instruction manual. 
• LEDs and safety certification: Use LED lights instead of halogen lamps or bulbs and look for a safety certification such as the GS (“tested safety”) certification.