Cold Prompts Warning About Space Heaters
By Dan O'Donnell
MILWAUKEE - The bitter cold is bringing a warning from the Milwaukee Fire Department about safely heating your home.
On Friday, three adults and a 3-year-old child ended up in the hospital and ten people lost their homes after a fire was started by a space heater. Firefighters said the blaze in the 900 block of East Hadley could have easily been prevented.
Space heaters should be at least three feet from clothing or blankets.
"I've never owned a space heater, I'm scared of those," said Milwaukee resident Marla Carter. "So we just deal with just the thermostat and warm blankets."
Many tricks people try to stay warm end up being the biggest cause of potentially deadly fires in the winter.
"People are trying to cut back on the heating bill, cut back on the gas," said firefighter Doran Kemp. "So not only are they using space heaters, they're using a number of space heaters."
"We see people using their ovens and stoves, open those up to try and heat the whole house, causing big problems with carbon monoxide, so we get a lot of calls that way."
The Fire Department urges people to simply bundle up if they are cold and don't wish to run up their heating bills.
0 COMMENTS
ADD A COMMENT