NFPA urges public to keep fire safety in mind during the winter months

Home heating equipment is the second leading cause of U.S. home fires and home fire deaths

Published Jan 28, 2015 at 10:43 am (Updated Jan 28, 2015)

During the winter months, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) urges the public to use added caution when heating their homes. Home heating equipment is the second leading cause of U.S. home fires and home fire deaths, with January being one of the three leading months for home heating fires. In addition, improperly used or malfunctioning heating equipment can create carbon monoxide (CO), a poisonous, potentially fatal gas in the home.

Unattended heating equipment is the leading cause of home heating fires, said Lorraine Carli, NFPAs vice president of Outreach and Advocacy. She urges people to monitor all heating equipment carefully, particularly space heaters. Whether portable or stationary, space heaters account for one-third (33 percent) of home heating fires and four out of five (81 percent) of home heating fire deaths on average per year.

Also, with the potential for power outages during snow storms, Carli strongly encourages people to have flashlights and battery-powered lighting at the ready never use candles to light a home.

NFPA offers the following safety precautions to greatly reduce the risk of home heating fires and carbon monoxide poisoning:

Heating Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment. This includes furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves and portable space heaters.

If there are children in your home, create a three-foot kid-free zone around space heaters and open fires.

Never use your oven to heat your home.

For fuel-burning space heaters, always use the right kind of fuel, as specified by the manufacturer.

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NFPA urges public to keep fire safety in mind during the winter months