BECKLEY, WV (WOAY) – People are just trying to stay warm with these bitter cold temperatures and wicked weather.
The Beckley Fire Department wants to caution everyone: if you’re using space heaters, keep them at least three feet away from anything flammable.
Be aware of your pets and children, they could bump into a space heather and get burned. If you’re using a gas or wood stove, make sure to have a CO detector.
“Which would detect poisonous gas that is carbon monoxide. They’ll start to get a headache, maybe flu-like symptoms, just not feeling well,” said City Fire Marshal, Capt. Chris Graham. That’s a really good indicator their fuel system is not burning correctly. They’re just like anything else (and) will go out of date. So make sure you have a current one and it’s in proper working condition.”
Beckley Fire Department also encourages everyone to check their furnaces before winter hits. The fire marshal says once you turn the unit on and it’s bad, it could be weeks before you see service by a technician. Then you’re relying on space heaters and that’s always a dangerous thing to do.
“It could happen in the middle of the night — you get gas in your house, maybe fall asleep and not wake up,” said Graham. “A (CO detector) can save a life, give you a notification something’s wrong, and a chance to get out of the house and call the fire department.”
Ensure you’re watering real Christmas trees and don’t plug lights and space heaters (if you’re using one) all into one outlet or keep them in a single room.
“Spread them out, make sure they’re not close to anything (and) they’re UL tested. You can order heaters on Amazon but they’re from China and not tested properly,” the fire marshal said. “Those can be dangerous because they could overheat and cause a fire.”
This time of year we’re focused on family, friends, and festivities but be cautious and aware — fires can happen at any time.
“We see people on their worst day every day; fires don’t take holidays off,” said Graham. “So we just really want to make sure everybody’s safe and can enjoy their holiday season.”
