Fire officials urge caution when using space heaters

The National Fire Protection Association is urging the public to use added caution when heating their homes during the winter months, when nearly half (46 percent) of all U.S. home heating equipment fires occur.

Home heating equipment is the second-leading cause of U.S. home fires and home fire injuries, and the third-leading cause of home fire deaths and direct property damage.

According to the latest Home Heating Fires report from NFPA, an average of 44,210 home heating fires occurred each year between 2016 and 2020, resulting in an estimated 480 civilian deaths, 1,370 civilian injuries, and $1 billion in direct property damage.

Home fires caused by heating equipment were less likely to occur in the overnight hours from midnight to 6 a.m. (13 percent), but they accounted for more than two out of five fatalities (43 percent), as well as disproportionate shares of injuries (22 percent) and direct property damage (20 percent).

Space heaters are most often responsible for home heating equipment fires, accounting for one-third of the fires, as well as the vast majority of associated deaths (88 percent) and injuries (80 percent).

NFPA offers these tips and guidelines for safely heating your home during the winter months:

• Heating equipment and chimneys should be cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.

• Keep anything that can burn at least three feet (one meter) away from all heating equipment, including furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves, and space heaters.

• Always use the right kind of fuel, as specified by the manufacturer, for fuel-burning space heaters.

• Create a three-foot (one meter) “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.

• Make sure space heaters are in good working order and used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

• Fireplaces should have a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container, which should be placed outside at least 10 feet away from your home.

• All fuel-burning equipment should be vented to the outside to avoid carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

• If you smell gas in your gas heater, do not light the appliance. Leave the home immediately and call your local fire department or gas company.

• Make sure smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are located throughout the home; test them monthly to ensure that they’re working properly.