Space heater safety

Heating was the second leading cause of home fires in 2021, with about 32,200 fires, an estimated 190 deaths, 625 injuries and $442 million in damage. Space heaters cause only about 3 percent of heating fires, but they were behind about 41 percent of the heating fires that killed someone.

Where it sits

• Keep 3 feet clear around the heaterThat includes furniture, curtains, bedding, papers and clothes. Keep the same 3 feet around a fireplace, wood stove, radiator or candle.
• Use it in a room with good airflow
• Set it on a hard, level surface out of the wayChildren, pets, even a curtain blowing in a draft can knock a heater over. A tip-over switch helps, but a stable spot is safer.
• Never heat the house with the oven or the stoveA gas stove used for heat can fill the house with carbon monoxide.

The heater itself

• Check it shuts off if it tips over
• Make sure it has a thermostat
• Look for a testing lab's markA mark from a lab such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) on the heater or its label means it has been tested.
• Stop using a heater that smells, sparks or smokesThose are signs of an electrical fault. Have it repaired or get rid of it.
• Don't touch it while it's on and hot
• Use only clear K-1 kerosene in a kerosene heaterNever overfill it.

The power

• Plug it straight into a wall outletDon't use an extension cord or a power strip.
• Stop using a heater with a worn or damaged cordDon't run cords under rugs or furniture.
• Never force a plug into an outlet it doesn't fit
• In a bathroom, plug it into a GFCI outletWater and grounded pipes make a heater an electrocution risk there. A heater with its own GFCI plug works too.

When you leave the room

• Turn it off when you leave the room or go to bed
• Put a smoke alarm on every level of the houseThat includes the basement.

The rest of the heating

• Have the furnace and chimney cleaned and inspected once a year
• Make sure a fire in the fireplace is out before bedThe same goes for leaving the house.

Go through the list before the first cold night, and again whenever a heater moves to a new room. Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms covers where the alarms go and how to test them. If the power goes out and you use a generator for heat, running a portable generator safely covers keeping its exhaust out of the house.