They can quickly take the chill out of a room, but portable heaters can be especially dangerous if you’re not careful.
AUSTIN, Texas — They’re convenient, work quickly and give off a lot of heat, yet portable space heaters are also to blame for far too many house fires.
More fires at home are caused by heating equipment than any other cause – an average of 50,000 fires a year according to the National Fire Protection Association.
According to the most recent data, most home heating fire deaths, 81%, involved portable space heaters. Over half of those deaths were caused by having heating equipment too close to things that can burn.
Fire safety experts offer this advice about how to use space heaters safely:
- Keep the portable heater at least 3 feet from anything flammable like drapes or furniture. You should never sit a space heater on a carpet or area rug. Put it on a hard and level surface like wood or tile.
- Never leave a space heater unattended. Fire experts say when you can’t pay attention to the space heater, you need to turn the heater off.
- Keep the heater out of reach of children and pets.
- Always plug it directly into the outlet. Never use an extension cord or a surge protector.
- Regardless of how you heat your home, make sure to have a working smoke and carbon monoxide alarm.