Safe Use of Space Heaters During Winter Months

As the colder winter months approach, space heaters can boost home warmth, but they can cause fires if you aren’t careful. A space heater can be an easy and effective way to warm your home, but space heaters come with some risks.

Greenview Fire-Rescue Services does not keep specific statistics on space heater fires; however, a report from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) stated that space heaters are the culprits in 81% of fatal house fires caused by heat. More than half of the fires caused by heating equipment between 2014 and 2018 occurred in January.

Regional Fire Chief Wayne Brown cautions, “You want to make sure to keep a good three to five feet of clearance around a space heater, and they can generate a lot of heat, so anything combustible that’s near is an opportunity for a fire to start.”

That’s the bad news. The good news is that the risk of fire goes down substantially if you follow these space heater safety tips.

  • Please make sure the space heater has safety features. Choose a space heater that automatically shuts off when it starts to overheat or tips over, as that will help minimize any risk of an accidental house fire.
  • Don’t use extension cords and power strips, extension cords and power strips can overheat and cause a fire when connected to a space heater. Play it safe by plugging your space heater directly into a wall outlet.
  • Place the space heater out of harm’s way, and keep space heaters at least three feet away from anything combustible or flammable, such as curtains, rugs, beds, and clothes. Also, avoid placing space heaters on carpets or in high-traffic areas where they could become a tripping hazard.
  • Keep kids and pets away from space heaters. Place space heaters where young children and pets can’t get to them. Consider putting your heater behind a child-proof gate if necessary.
  • Place space heaters on a level surface. Space heaters should be placed on flat, level floor surfaces to avoid dangerous tip-overs.
  • Don’t hide space heater cords. Running a space heater’s cord under a rug, carpet or piece of furniture poses a fire risk. Keep them out in the open.
  • Turn off your space heater when you can’t monitor It. Power down your space heater before you go to sleep. Always ensure you are in the same room as the space heater, or at least you can keep an eye on it while it’s running.
  • Get rid of space heaters running too hot. If your space heater or its power cord is hot to the touch, turn it off and unplug it ASAP. Don’t plug in the space heater again until an appliance repair person checks it out. If you’ve had the space heater for a while, consider replacing it. Do not donate the overheating space heater to a charity or put it outside for free.
  • Regularly inspect your space heater, and immediately replace any space heater with a cracked or frayed cord, damaged prongs or loose connections.

Chief Brown also reinforced the importance of having functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the home.