PENNSYLVANIA. (WHTM) – As temperatures begin to drop, some may consider using a space heater to keep warm. Local fire officials are sending out a reminder about the dangers and tips to keep you safe.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, 88% of home heating fire deaths involved space heaters.
“If somebody is being irresponsible and uses a space heater in an unsafe manner, it can quickly become a tragedy, a tragic situation where somebody ends up getting severely injured or killed,” said Lower Paxton Township Deputy Fire Chief Brett Graham.
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To prevent any tragedy, Graham and Susquehanna Township’s Fire Chief George Drees says if you use a space heater it’s important to keep anything and everything 3 feet away from it.
“Make sure that you plug it directly into a wall and not into a power strip or an extension cord that’s not designed to handle that sort of load. And a lot of times that’s what we see, you know, as a cause of a fire,” said Graham.
“We want to make sure that once you’re using it, you go back and you actually feel the plug to make sure the plug or the outlet, the receptacle is not hot,” said Drees.
If it is hot, unplug it immediately and never leave a space heater on and unattended.
Drees wants to remind everyone of the importance of having a carbon monoxide detector in your home.
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“And the ones that are out there now, they’re ten-year batteries,” said Drees.
Drees says to never use alternative heating sources to stay warm.
“Like your stove by leaving it on some, whether it’s the actual oven being open in a broil or on the stovetop. We’ve seen people do both and resulting in structure fires,” said Drees.
Drees and Graham say space heaters shouldn’t be on for long and shouldn’t be used as your main source of heat.
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