MEMPHIS, Tenn. — When the temperatures fall, are you keeping your home warm safely?
You may already know the dangers of putting clothes or curtains too close to a space heater, but even one space heater plugged into the wall can be enough to overload the circuits in older homes.
Fire officials prefer you not even use them. However, if you’re going to, they want you to be extremely careful.
Just a twist of a knob could lead to melted wires inside your walls, a burning smell, and even a full blown house fire.
“Space heaters are one of the leading causes of fires,” Lt. Wayne Cooke with the Memphis Fire Department said. “It’s not the leading cause, but it’s rated in the top percentage.”
Cooke said, especially in older homes, plugging one in is enough to overload the circuit and spark a fire inside your walls.
“Several fire fatalities each year are caused by the misuse of space heaters,” he said.
When it gets as cold as it will Saturday, Cooke knows people do everything they can to stay warm.
“Never use a stove to warm your home, to dry clothing…Especially gas stoves,” Cooke said. “There’s the potential for carbon monoxide release.”
If you can’t afford to keep the heat on, Cooke said there are options and help available so your family can stay warm, while still staying safe.
“There are locations where you can go to warm yourselves. Some of the community centers are open,” he said.
Cooke also recommends having a certified electrician come look at your wiring if you have an older home, especially if you are trying to use a space heater.
