Five killed by Christmas tree fires in Ontario this season: Fire Marshal

 

Provincial officials say dry Christmas trees caused two recent fatal fires in Ontario.

A spokeswoman with the Office of the Fire Marshal says most recently, four people were killed south of Ottawa after a dry tree caught fire on Jan. 10.

Kristy Denette says the homeowners had two friends over for dinner when the fire started and quickly engulfed the home in flames, killing everyone inside.

She says the home was too badly damaged to determine what lit the tree ablaze, but that faulty Christmas lights are often to blame in such situations.

Earlier, on Dec. 28, she says a dry Christmas tree caught fire in Halton Hills, Ont., killing one woman.

In that case, she says, the woman's partner was able to escape through an upstairs window, but she was caught inside and died.

Denette says the couple had been planning on getting rid of the dry Christmas tree later that day.

The Office of the Fire Marshal is encouraging everyone to get rid of their dry trees immediately.