LAWTON Okla_ Electric space
heaters can be dangerous as the winter days get colder.
Overnight
temperatures are now regularly dropping below freezing, and people are using
electric space heaters. Some don't use them correctly, and they can quickly
create a danger.
Last Thursday a
family in Stephens
County lost their mobile
home after a space heater ignited clothes sitting next to it. The fire then
spread throughout the home.
Lawton Deputy Fire
Marshal Michael Wright said it hasn't been a problem yet, but he said the
coldest part of winter is still ahead, and it's only a matter of time.
Wright knows
how important it is to safely operate an electric space heater. Just a few
winters ago, he had his own close call with one.
"I had a
space heater at my house," Wright said. "It was a radiant style space heater that
didn't have any exposed elements. I thought it was working okay."
He said a
closer inspection revealed it wasn't.
"I pulled
the end of the plug out of the outlet, Wright said, "And I saw that it had been
heated up and actually was melting the outlet."
Wright said
inspecting a space heater is just one thing people should do. Others include
maintaining a three foot space between it and anything that can ignite. Wright
said you should not plug in an electric space heater to an extension cord due
the amount of energy it needs to operate. He said you should never leave it
unattended and never use a space heater that has not been tested.
"Most
people take it for granted," Wright said. "They use that space heater all the
time and don't think about where they're placing it or where they're using
it."
Wright stresses
the use of working smoke detectors and fire escape routes. He said families
should have both in case the unexpected occurs.
For more information on electric heater safety, you can check out the
national fire protection association website at www.nfpa.org.
