Fires may turn up heat during winter months
RESIDENTS URGED TO USE CARE WITH SPACE HEATERS, AVOID CARBON FUELS

BY MICHAEL KIMBALL Comments 1
Published: December 6, 2008

Fires caused by space heaters are common during the winter months. This home at 7000 Greenway in Oklahoma City was destroyed in 2003 when the owner tried to thaw frozen pipes with a space heater. Oklahoman archive photo by paul hellstern

Fires caused by home-heating efforts will rise as the mercury falls, a fire official said. It happens every year.

Sometimes the fires are started by transients who break into vacant structures and start warming fires, Oklahoma City fire Deputy Chief Cecil Clay said. Other fires are the result of homeowners not following proper safety procedures when trying to stay warm.

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BY THE NUMBERS

Heating equipment fires in U.S.

$900M

Annual fire damage

1 in 6

Home fires caused by heating equipment each year

62,000

Total number of fires in the United States each year

670

Annual deaths

1,550

Annual injuries

Source:

National Fire Protection

Association’s 2005 report released in 2007

Clay said a few fires already have been started this season by vagrants using abandoned houses. He said vagrants just want to get out of the weather like anyone else.

"They’re not trying to catch the place on fire, but they might start a warming fire, and it can get away from them,” Clay said.

People who use space heaters to stay warm also are common culprits in winter residential fires, Clay said. Such heaters should be kept away from all combustible materials.

"And for heaven’s sake, don’t start any kind of charcoaler or thing like that in your house,” Clay said. "Anytime you burn carbon fuels, it’s going to put off carbon monoxide, and that’s a poisonous gas that can kill you.”