Nationally, the American Red Cross responds to 70,000 disasters each year – one every eight minutes. Most are home fires.
Here in central Pennsylvania, the Red Cross assisted close to 4,000 people following more than 400 disaster calls this past year.
As temperatures start to dip in the area, the Red Cross urges families to be cautious when using space heaters and other heating sources.
Heating sources are the second leading cause of home fire deaths, and fatal home fires increase during the winter months.
In addition to having working smoke detectors and family home fire escape plans, the Red Cross recommends the following when using heat sources such as space heaters, fireplaces, or wood and coal stoves:
- All heaters need space. Keep children, pets and things that can burn (paper, matches, bedding, furniture, clothing, carpets, and rugs) at least three feet away from heating equipment.
- Never leave a fire in the fireplace unattended, and use a glass or metal fire screen to keep fire and embers in the fireplace.
- Never use a cooking range or oven to heat your home.
- Turn off portable space heaters every time you leave the room or go to sleep.
- Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, and chimneys inspected annually by a professional, and cleaned if necessary.
- If you must use a space heater, place it on a level, hard and nonflammable surface (such as ceramic tile floor), not on rugs, or carpets or near bedding or drapes. Plug power cords directly into outlets and never into an extension cord.
You can learn more about fire safety by visiting redcross.org/homefires or by downloading the Red Cross Emergency App from your devices app store.