JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas –
Fire departments responded to an estimated average of 37,365 fires involving heating equipment per year from 2020-2024.
This accounted for 11% of all reported home fires during this time, and these fires resulted in estimated annually 417 civilian deaths, 1260 civilian injuries, and $12 billion in property damages.
Based on 2020-2024 annual averages:
- Space heaters and heating stoves were the type of heating equipment responsible for the largest shares of losses in home heating equipment fires, accounting for nearly half (47%) of the fires, but over seven out of ten deaths (73%) and seven out of ten (70%) of the injuries in home fires caused by heating equipment.
- Fires originating in a kitchen or cooking area accounted for the largest share of home heating fires (19%).
- While the larger (non-confined) fires involving fireplaces or chimneys were involved in fewer than one in ten fires caused by heating equipment (8%), they caused just over one-fourth of the direct property damage (26%).
- Nearly half of the heating equipment fires (46%) occurred in the three-month period from December through February.
When cold weather arrives, homes can feel chilly. Many people use portable space heaters to provide supplemental heat or warm specific rooms.
If you plan to use one, it is crucial to follow safety recommendations and tips to prevent fire hazards and ensure efficient use.
- Purchase a heater with the seal of a qualified testing laboratory.
- Keep the heater at least three feet (1 meter) away from anything that can burn, including people.
- Choose a heater with a thermostat and overheat protection.
- Place the heater on a solid, flat surface.
- Make sure your heater has an auto shut-off to turn the heater off if it tips over.
- Keep space heaters out of the way of foot traffic. Never block an exit.
- Keep children away from the space heater.
- Plug the heater directly into the wall outlet.
- Never use an extension cord
- Space heaters should be turned off and unplugged when you leave the room or go to bed.
While curling up with a book by the fireplace is a winter delight, heating equipment is a major cause of home fire deaths; however, simple precautions, like keeping combustibles 3 feet away, using space heaters safely, and annual professional inspections, significantly reduce this risk.
Stay warm and safe this winter by following these tips:
- Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater.
- Have a three-foot (one meter) “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
- Never use your oven to heat your home.
- Have a qualified professional install stationery space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
- Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
- Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
- Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.
- Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.
- Test smoke alarms at least once a month.
To prevent carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, install and maintain CO alarms on every level and near sleeping areas.
If you smell gas from a heater, leave immediately and call the fire department from outside. Never re-light the appliance, ensuring proper ventilation for all fuel-burning devices and appliances.
For more information about home heating safety, visit the National Fire Prevention Association website at www.nfpa.org/education or contact the Joint Base San Antonio Fire Prevention Offices at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston at 210-916-7766, at JBSA-Lackland at 210-671-0227, or at JBSA-Randolph at 210-652-8853.