Keeping a decorated tree in your home is a centuries-old Christmas tradition, despite that it can still cause property damage.

The National Fire Prevention Association advises those purchasing a live Christmas tree should choose one with fresh, green needles that don’t fall off when touched. They also say to add water to the tree stand daily, and make sure it’s at least three feet away from any heat source.

Riverside Fire Chief Chad Smothers explains the potential different types of trees have for house fires, “Whether an old dried out tree versus a properly maintained tree that’s been watered, those things are going to burn at a different rate, a different speed. You could have the same issues with electrical wires or something catches your fake tree on fire, and it’s obviously going to burn too, it’s just going to burn at a different rate. Then again, your fake tree is probably going to be made of some petroleum products so it’s going to burn a lot hotter and produce massier smoke than what a real tree would.”

In case of a fire, it’s important not to have the tree in the way of an escape route. Smothers recommends residents have smoke detectors equipped, and to not try to stop a fire themselves but to get out of their home as quickly as possible.