Fire prevention TIPS
Fire prevention TIPS
Home fires occur most frequently in winter. Fire-safety officials advise homeowners:
Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from all heat sources.
Never use an oven to heat your home.
Space heaters
Keep anything that can burn, such as bedding, clothing and curtains, at least 3 feet away from the heater.
Make sure the heater has an automatic shut-off, so if it tips over, it shuts off.
Turn heaters off when you go to bed or leave the room.
Plug portable heaters directly into outlets and never into an extension cord or power strip.
Only use portable heaters from a recognized testing laboratory.
Fireplace
Keep a glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace.
Do not burn paper in fireplaces.
Put fire out before you go to sleep or leave your home.
Put ashes in a metal container with a lid, outside, at least 3 feet from your home.
Wood stove
Make sure your wood stove is 3 feet from anything that can burn.
Do not burn paper in your wood stove.
Put the fire out before you go to sleep or leave your home.
Furnace
Have your furnace inspected each year.
Keep anything that can burn away from the furnace.
Source: U.S. Fire Administration and state fire marshal