Lexington Fire Department warns of fire safety hazards with space heaters

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — When we think of winter we tend to navigate towards the snow, the holiday spirit, and the colder temperatures.

“But some common mistakes people make are leaving them on all the time, leaving them on when they leave the house when they go to bed at night, plugging them into an extension cord or overloading outlet,” says Jessica Bowman of the Lexington Fire Department.

Space heaters come in a variety of sizes, and can be plugged in, and with the easy access there can also be some downfalls if not used appropriately.

“You’re going to want to keep a three foot radius clear around your space heater. So that’s three feet away from kids and pets. It’s three feet away from anything combustible curtains, furniture, magazines, things like that. Because if your space heater is too close to any of those things, it could start a fire,” added Bowman.

If you’re still struggling with keeping yourself or your house warm, it is also imperative you never attempt to warm your house with an open flame.

“It’s equally important never to use like your oven or your stove-top to try to heat your home, or trying to use any type of open flame to heat your home, that’s very dangerous,” she also, says.

Bowman advises instead to have annual checkups on your furnace, your HVAC system and your fireplace.
Some may need a generator to heat up.

“If you were to use a generator, you want to make sure that it’s a good distance away from your house at least 20 or 30 feet away from the house because it produces carbon monoxide and that carbon monoxide get pulled into the house and can cause the people inside the home to become sick,” she also said.

Other preventative measures include, making sure your household has a smoke alarm.

“Early warning, early detection is going to be your best defense to make sure everyone makes it out of your home safely,” she said.

Bowman also says if you don’t have smoke alarms, or if your smoke alarms are more than 10 years old, if you don’t have a smoke alarm in every bedroom, outside every sleeping area and on every level of your home, to call the Lexington Fire Department to schedule a time to have them come to your home and put them in for free.