HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — As temperatures continue to drop across the Central Virginia region, fire department officials are reminding residents of the importance of using heating devices correctly.
According to Henrico Fire Department Battalion Chief Doug Reynolds, two building fires in January were caused by heating accidents, which are often caused from the use of alternative heating devices in homes.
“Usually where we see people start to get into trouble is what we would call alternative heating devices,” Reynolds said. “That’s usually when we’re going to start getting into electric space heaters and a kerosene heater, or your fireplace.”
Reynolds advises residents to do yearly checks on their central heating system devices, such as a boiler or furnace — which provide the main heat to a home. Any heat added by the use of devices such as a space heater, must be used with caution.
“Certainly the electric space heaters are the most popular, but where some people also make a mistake is that [they should] never, ever [be] using an extension cord with an electric space heater, these cords have a tendency to fail and they will melt,” Reynolds said.
A kerosene heater is another affordable option residents can use to add heat into their homes, however this device can draw very high levels of heat that can cause fires. According to Reynolds, kerosene heaters should be placed at least 36 inches away from flammable materials.
Turning on a cooking stove is another way people can heat their homes, but Reynolds said those using stoves must take caution as there is no barrier to protect people from hurting themselves on its burning surface.
“The problem is that’s like a magnet. If you have young kids at your house, they can go over there and fall into that oven and and then get burnt,” Reynolds said.
Whether residents are using an alternative heating device or not, Reynolds said having a working smoke detector and getting it tested on a regular basis will ensure everyone has enough time to get out of their house during the event of a fire.
Reynolds also said having a carbon monoxide detector is another important device to have in a home as many alternative sources for heat can cause poisonous levels of carbon monoxide to be released into the air.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, at least 420 people die in the U.S. from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning every year.
“If you’re using like your your fireplace, oil heat, gas heat, any of those types of heats like that, it is always a good idea to have a carbon monoxide detector at your house, that way, if one of those starts to run inefficiently and carbon monoxide starts to get produced, that will also wake you up,” Reynolds said. “You don’t smell it. You can’t taste it. So it’ll just it will definitely sneak up on you.”
