KITCHENER -- A charity toy event drove home the importance of Christmas tree maintenance and safety on Saturday.
The Kitchener Fire Department lit a tree on purpose in a safe environment as part of a lesson in what not to do.
This is part of the annual Trees for Toys drive by realtor Peter Benninger.
Fire safety has been incorporated into each drive for the past 11 years.
The dryer the tree is, the faster a fire spreads. Public education officer Jeff Wildfang says trees will likely need to be watered twice in one day for at least the first week.
"It's nice to have a natural Christmas tree, but there is some maintenance that needs to be done with that," says Wildfang.
It's also advised that trees are given a fresh cut so it will naturally want to absorb more water.
When it's time to put lights on the tree, Wildfang says to ensure there are no frays, cuts or abrasions on the wire and that they don't overheat or cause a spark.
Almost 5,000 gifts have been collected for kids in Waterloo Region as well.
