Heating & Furnace
Space Heater Safety Tips That Will Keep You and Your Family Safe This Winter
GREENVILLE, Pitt County (WCTI) — If you plan on using a space heater to keep your home warm this season, you might want to read over these safety tips.
Space heaters account for two of very five home heating fires and four of five home heating deaths according to Greenville Fire-Rescue, but Fire Marshal Bryant Beddard said there are ways to use them safely.
“What you’ll want to do is maintain at least three feet of combustible material,” Fire Marshal Beddard said. “(This includes) draperies,furniture, bedding.”
It also includes yourself. You might be tempted to warm your hands or feet directly in front of the heater or sleep next to it, but Fire Marshal Beddard said that isn’t safe.
You might also be tempted to leave a space heater running to keep your pets warm during the day while you’re out of the home, but that’s another dangerous habit.