Chill brings added house fire danger

Lewiston Fire Inspector Julian Sorrell demonstrates a space heater.

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Story Published: Dec 7, 2009 at 10:44 AM PDT

Story Updated: Dec 7, 2009 at 10:44 AM PDT

By Anne Harding

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LEWISTON - As temperatures drop outside, it's time to turn up the heat inside. And whether that's space heaters, furnaces, or another heat source, there is always a need to be aware of fire danger.

Recently a Lewiston apartment was heavily damaged by a fire caused by bedding and toys being too close to a baseboard heater.

Lewiston Fire Inspector Julian Sorrell said having items too close to a heat source is only one of the problems that can cause fires this time of year. He says starting with safe appliances is the key.

"One of the biggest things that we recommend is look for a listing of the appliance," said Sorrell. "Make sure that it's something that shuts off when it tips over if it's a portable appliance and make sure that it doesn't have any carbon monoxide emissions that will emit into the house. Any good appliance is going to show those listings and provide that information on the outside labels so you can see it."

Another problem. The outlets your appliances are plugged into.

"A lot of time what we'll see is a heater and various other appliances, which take a large amount of energy to run plugged into a plug strip that is not listed for that volume of electricity," said Sorrell. "What happens is they will break down, the cord will break down, sometimes even the surge strips will break down."

And even if you're appliances do have safety features and are plugged into correct power sources, Sorrell said the best advice to keep your home fire free is to turn them off.

"Anything that you can unplug is going to reduce the chance of an accidental ignition," said Sorrell. "Especially if you have animals in the house or just forget something that was left on. Another critical item this time of year, and always, is making sure your smoke detectors work. We recommend that you check those once a month."

Sorrell added to make sure to keep your Christmas trees watered, as those often are a problem. And if you have any concerns over heating appliances in your home he says the Fire Prevention Division would be happy to answer questions and offer advice.

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