Fire Safety: Portable Heaters
Estimated 900 fires each year
An estimated 900 portable heater fires in homes are reported to U.S. fire departments each year and cause an estimated 70 deaths, 150 injuries and $53 million in property loss.
Only two percent of heating fires in homes involve portable heaters; however portable heaters are involved in 45 percent of all fatal fires in homes!
You can prevent a portable heater fire in your home by following a few fire safety steps:
(1) Turn heaters off when you go to bed or leave the room.
(2) Keep anything that can burn such as bedding, clothing and curtains at least three feet away.
(3) Only use portable heaters from a recognized testing laboratory and with an automatic shut-off so that if they tip over, they shut off.
(4) Plug portable heaters directly into outlets and never into an extension cord or power strip.