Working Smoke Alarms Alert Family to Heater Fire
KINGSPORT – A Kingsport Family is safe after working smoke alarms alerted them to a fire that broke out in their basement. The Kingsport Fire Department was alerted to the fire on Lawndale Cir around 9:16 am this morning, January 30, 2014. On arrival firefighters found light smoke emanating from the home and all of the occupants outside. ‚ The KFD was able to quickly extinguish the fire. The Kingsport ‚ Fire Marshals Office determined the fire started in a basement room where a wall heater came on due to the falling temperatures. Household items stored too close to the heater caught fire. The smoke alarms in the home alerted the family. ‚ The family with their pets were able to escape and call 911.
The old coil type wall heaters have an automatic thermostat that may turn on the heater even if the dial is on low, if your home is equipped with wall heaters or any other type of heating equipment follow these heating safety tips.
Heating Safety:
- Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths. Almost half of home heating equipment fires are reported during the months of December, January, and February. Some simple steps can prevent most heating-related fires from happening.
- 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-bart kid-free zone around open fires and space heaters.
- Never use your oven to heat your home.
- Have a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment, water heaters or central heating equipment according to the local codes and manufacturers 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 monthly.
- Equip your home with Home Fire Sprinklers.
Source: https://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/causes/heating/heating-safety-tips
