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Many Fires From Home Heating Devices

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[December 05, 2007]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Heating equipment caused about 62,200 reported home fires and 670 civilian deaths nationwide in 2005, with three-fourths of the fatalities due to space heaters, according to a report released Tuesday by a fire safety association.

In all, home heating equipment fires accounted for about 16 percent of all reported home fires in 2005 and space heaters resulted in far more fires, deaths and damage than central heating devices, according to the National Fire Protection Association report.

Space heaters accounted for one-third of reported home heating fires and more than half of property damage from home heating fires in 2005, the most recent year data was collected. Most of the fires involving space heaters began when equipment was left too close to something that ignited.

Although space heater fires were involved in the most non-firefighter deaths, chimneys caused the largest share of home heating fires, 36 percent, in 2005. Most chimney fires result from lack of cleaning. In fact, failure to clean is the leading factor for all home heating equipment fires combined, according to the report.

Nearly half of all home fires occur December through February, the association said. The group, working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the U.S. Fire Administration, issued some safety tips for home heating equipment:

• All things that burn, such as paper, bedding and furniture, should be kept 3 feet away from heating equipment.

• Turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

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• Plug power cords only into outlets with sufficient capacity and never into an extension cord.

• Inspect for cracked, frayed or broken plugs or loose connections.

• Chimneys should be inspected each year and cleaned if necessary.

• Use a sturdy fireplace screen.

•  Allow ashes to cool before disposing and dispose of them in a metal container.

• Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the house.

• Install and maintain a carbon monoxide alarm in a central location outside each sleeping area.

• Never use an oven to heat a house.

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On the Net:

National Fire Protection Association: http://www.nfpa.org/

Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov/

[Associated Press; By TERENCE CHEA]

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