SPRINGDALE, Ark. — During days with freezing temperatures across Arkansas, many people get out their space heaters to help warm up their homes. Springdale firefighters urge people to follow a few simple tips to use space heaters safely.
“A lot of [fires from space heaters] can be prevented just by making sure it's not around combustibles, making sure there's a three-foot clearance around them and keeping children and pets away from them,” Capt. Justin Pinkley with Springdale Fire Department said.
Other winter space heater safety tips
- Plug space heaters directly into the wall— never into an extension cord.
- Turn the space heater off when leaving the house, or to be safe, even when leaving the room.
- If there are any frayed wires or damage to the space heater, stop using it immediately.
Pinkley also encourages people to use space heaters with built-in safety features.
“Make sure that your space heater is UL tested, it does have the proper safety functions, and if it got knocked over, the safety switch is going to kick in and turn off the unit … There are some temperature-regulated settings on them. Just being mindful, knowing your product, read up on it [and] know what the limitations are for it,” Pinkley said.