Local fire officials give safety tips on using space heaters during cold weather

JACKSON, Tenn. — When it becomes exceptionally cold, space heaters are used as an additional way to stay warm and cozy.

“Typically in this time of year when the temperatures drop really drastically like they have the past couple of days,” said Madison County Fire Marshal Don Friddle. “People will pull out what we call supplemental heating devices and put them into to use, and rightfully so. They are trying to stay warm.”

However, according to to Friddle they can be a fire hazard.

“Unfortunately we have experienced this several times in the past and we do see it generally increase in structure fires, specifically residential fires whenever the temperatures drop like they have in the past couple of days,” said Friddle.

Friddle suggests if you do have a space heater in your home, make sure it’s at least three feet away from anything in its surrounding areas to prevent any type of fire hazard. And if you do have it plugged in, make sure that the wires are not exposed and tucked away to prevent any type of tripping hazard.

“That is one common thing we see a lot is that the devices will have combustible materials next to them,” said Friddle. “And as they’re are operating for a period of time it’ll catch fire and progress form that point.”

Friddle also stresses to make sure your house is equipped to warn you if a fire breaks out.

“One thing is that we’d like to see people do, one use common sense with what you heat your house, but two in addition to a smoke alarm, it’s very important to have a carbon monoxide alarm as well,” said Friddle.

He says the best way to prevent a fire in your home from space heaters is to make sure they are turned off whenever you leave the room or will be away from your home for long periods of time.