Quincy, MA – Two out of three reported home heating fires and associated deaths and injuries in 2001 involved portable and fixed space heaters and related equipment, such as fireplaces, chimneys and chimney connectors, according to a newly released National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) report.
With home heating costs already rising toward this winter’s predicted record levels, NFPA is urging caution about the use of space heaters and other supplemental heating devices to keep home heating costs down. Consumers should be aware that space heaters carry a much greater risk of causing home fires than central heating, such as furnaces.
Space heaters present a greater potential for human error. That includes leaving them too close to mattresses, bedding, clothing, upholstered furniture or other combustibles, or failing to install, fuel, operate or maintain them properly.
The estimated 54,900 home heating equipment fires in 2001 killed 220 people, the lowest death toll in the 22 years studied (1980 through 2001), according to the report. The number of civilian injuries, 1,120, and amount of direct property damage, $502 million, also reflect historic lows.
Of the five most widely used types of portable or fixed space heaters – room gas heaters, portable kerosene heaters, portable electric heaters, wood stoves or fireplaces with inserts, and built-in or other fixed electric heaters, the first three have the highest risk of deaths and injuries, including non-fire deaths due to carbon monoxide. Solid-fueled space heaters, such as wood stoves, usually involve the highest risk of property damage from fire. Portable kerosene heaters have the highest risk of fire death by most measures, and are illegal in some states.
Among the major causes of home heating fires are: lack of regular cleaning, leading to creosote buildup in wood-burning devices and associated chimneys and connectors; failure to give space heaters space, by installing or placing them too close to combustibles or placing combustibles too close to them; basic flaws in construction, design or installation of wood-burning heating equipment; and fueling errors involving liquid or gas-fueled heating equipment.
Any type of heating equipment can be used safely if you follow these rules and recommendations from NFPA:
- When buying a new space heater, make sure it carries the mark of an independent testing laboratory, and be sure to have fixed space heaters installed by a qualified technician according to manufacturer’s instructions or applicable code. Or, make sure a qualified technician checks to see that the unit has been properly installed.
- Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys, chimney connectors and all other solid-fueled heating equipment inspected annually by a professional, and cleaned as often as the inspections suggest.
- Nearly all space heaters require a 36-inch clearing from combustibles.
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions when turning a heater on or off. When buying heaters, look for devices with automatic shutoff features.
- Have any gas-fueled heating device installed with proper attention to ventilation. If unvented gas space heaters are used in bedrooms or bathrooms, make sure they are small and well mounted. NFPA codes prohibit use of liquefied petroleum gas heaters with self-contained fuel supplies.
