No matter how you choose to heat your home during winter, a heating source can become a fire hazard if it’s not properly maintained. Here are reminders to help keep your home warm and safe:
Wood-burning stove or
pellet stove
• Keep curtains, clothing, furniture, paper, and kindling away from the stove.
• Check the walls near the stove — they shouldn’t feel uncomfortably warm.
• Clean the stove regularly. Creosote is a flammable coating that can build up on stove pipes and chimneys, and must be removed.
• Never start a stove fire with gasoline, kerosene, or starter fluid. These substances could cause an explosion.
Fireplace
• Clean out your chimney regularly, especially if you use your fireplace often or burn green wood — this can lead to an increased buildup of creosote.
• Have your chimney checked for cracks, loose bricks, or unused flue openings that are improperly sealed.
• Avoid large fires of paper or trash, which send dangerous flames and sparks up your chimney, and use a fireplace screen to prevent sparks from escaping.
• Have a professional inspect your gas fireplace, including cleaning the logs and checking the fan and vents.
Space heater
• Stand the heater on a level surface, and keep it at least three feet away from any combustible materials.
• Plug the heater into an outlet, not an extension cord.
• Turn off the space heater when you leave the room and while you sleep.
• Don’t use a space heater to dry wet clothing or to warm bedding.
• Replace,
don’t patch, damaged or frayed electrical cords.
For more heating safety tips, visit http://www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/home_fire_prev/heating/fireplace.shtm.
For more heating safety tips, visit http://www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/home_fire_prev/heating/fireplace.shtm.
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