BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — A major safety reminder from the Bakersfield Fire Department and PG&E Thursday: please take care of your Christmas tree to avoid fires.

BFD and the utility company held two demonstrations at the Kern County Fire Training Center to show how quickly Christmas trees can go up in flames.

One showed how a dry tree could ignite inside your home and another showed how a tree that is not properly disposed of after the holidays could ignite outside your home.

Officials encourage people to water their trees, watch how many lights they put on, and to take their trees to recycling service as soon as they are done celebrating.