With temperatures dropping in the local area, fire officials are encouraging residents to take safety precautions with portable electric space heaters.
Statistics show that two in five deaths in space heater fires involve portable space heaters. With that in mind, residents planning to use those heaters are encouraged to:
- Purchase a heater with the seal of a qualified testing laboratory.
- Keep the heater at least three feet away from anything that can burn, including people.
- Choose a heater with a thermostat and overheat protection.
- Place the heater on a solid, flat surface.
- Make sure your heater has an auto shutoff to turn it off if it tips over.
- Keep space heaters out of the way of foot traffic and never block an exit.
- Keep children away from space heaters.
- Plug the heater directly into a wall outlet and never use an extension cord.
- Make sure the heater is turned off and unplugged when you leave the room or go to bed.