We are now only three weeks away from Christmas - and a warning has been issued for all those with artificial Christmas trees regarding the dangers of "cheap" variants.
A shocking video released by fire fighters in the lead up to Christmas shows the extreme combustibility of "cheap" artificial Christmas trees.
The video, filmed in Russia, comes as an annual spate of fires has led to the very important seasonal warning, said emergency officials in Siberia.
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In the video, experts showed the speed of burning of a natural spruce, an "ordinary" artificial Christmas tree, and another artificial Christmas tree made of special fire retardant materials.
"All the trees had tinsel and Christmas decorations, and then we started the fires," said the written warning in the video.
"The natural tree caught fire in 20 seconds.
"After a minute it was already fully ablaze.
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"After one-and-a-half minutes only charred twigs remained.
"At the same time, there was not much smoke."
In contrast, the "cheap" artificial tree ignited in only 30 seconds.
"The room was filled with black toxic smoke so it threatened the life and health of people no less than the flame."
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The tree made of special retardant plastic took longer than the other two to catch fire.
"It began to smoke only after two minutes, and the fire came only in the fourth minute....
"During this time, people who could have ended up in a room with a burning Christmas tree had time to save themselves."
The video was issued in the city of Krasnoyarsk and warned against the risk of a short-circuit of Christmas tree lights, or broken bulbs.
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Households were told: "Do not leave the kids near the tree and lights switched on. Obey fire safety rules."
They are also warned that the fire experiment was "made by professionals - don't try to repeat yourself".
Featured Image Credit: East2WestTopics: Christmas Tree, Christmas, News, Life