TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) – It’s getting cold out there so this is a reminder to remember heating safety tips.
The Tuscaloosa Fire Department says most of its heating-related fires are during the months of November through February.
The main thing is safety and common sense. If you have a space heater, give it three-feet of space from anything that can burn.
Fire departments across the country typically see an uptick in fires during the winter and many of them are heat-related fires. Holly Whigham says you also want to make sure your portable heaters are plugged into the wall – not a power strip.
“One of the things we see is people won’t realize you cannot plug in any heating device especially a space heater into a power strip or an extension cord, so you want to make sure you’re putting those directly into the wall and the reason for that is the energy is not able to handle it and it can over heat and cause a fire in your home, so you want to make sure you plug in your space heater or any heating device directly into the wall,” said Tuscaloosa Fire Department education coordinator Holly Whigham.
Holly Whigham added you also want to make sure your space heater is on a flat surface so it doesn’t lean and potentially fall over.
The Tuscaloosa Fire Department also offers free smoke alarms to anyone who needs one. Call 311 and operators will direct to the fire department.
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