(WKYT) The National Fire Protection Association says heating equipment is the leading cause of house fires. From 2014 to 2018, space heaters caused an average of more than 48,000 fires every year. With those temperatures dropping, more of you will be turning to space heaters for additional warmth. As the temperatures drop and before you reach for that space heater to keep warm, the Lexington Fire Department has some safety tips.
- Keep your space heater on a flat surface. Don’t leave any chance for it to tip over.
- Keep it three feet away from combustibles.
- Inspect the cord. Make sure it’s not damaged.
- Plug it directly into the wall, not into a power strip. The power strip can pull a heavy electrical load.
Lexington Fire District Chief Derek Roberts says if you perform these safety tips, have safety features on your space heater and have a working smoke detector, “it’s probably OK to run that overnight because you have all those other safety features built in.” District Chief Roberts says the technology on these heat sources is getting better. “A lot of them have automatic shut-offs. A lot of them have anti-tip technologies,” said Roberts.
Roberts says the fire department has been proactive against fire dangers, installing 4,000 smoke detectors in Lexington homes.
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