Christmas lights and decorations are filling Lansing homes with a glow, but if residents don't take precaution, the holiday lights could turn into a blazing fire.

A fire safety demonstration held to kick off the Holiday "Safety First" program in Lansing demonstrated that message Thursday.

The demonstration, held at the Lansing Fire Training Academy, 3015 Alpha St. in Lansing, simulated a typical holiday-adorned living room by filling a wooden box with a freshly cut pine tree, wrapped gifts, a chair and a smoke detector.

The smoke detector sounded 15 seconds after Lansing firefighters ignited the blaze and within two minutes, a raging inferno had reduced the "living room" to ash.

Capt. John Dyer, a spokesman for the Lansing Fire Department, said the simulation was presented to show how quickly misplaced holiday decorations can ignite a fire. The department makes about 20,000 runs during the holidays, he added.

"We try to find trends and prevent fires," Dyer said. "Last year, during the period between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, there was an accidental fire every two days. A lot of those fires could have been a lot worse without smoke detectors."

Dyer also stressed the importance of fire safety for college students.

"Kids think they're indestructible," he said. "When they move into their dorms or apartments, the last thing they're thinking about is, 'Do I have a smoke detector?'

Troy-based Flagstar Bank began the program, which is a $250,000 initiative, and distributed more than 6,000 free smoke alarms through the holiday Safety First program in its first three years.

Lansing residents can pick up a free smoke alarm at any of the nine fire stations in Lansing, beginning Dec. 11.

"We're expanding every year," said Alessandro DiNello, senior vice president of Flagstar Bank. "We feel it's a way for us to give back."