NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson Fire Marshal Mike Cain notes that as cold as it is, people need to be careful when using space heaters to warm their homes.
"The electric space heaters need to be plugged in directly to the wall," Cain said. "Not in a power strip, not an extension cord. They need to be set where they are at least three feet from anything combustible, the couch, the bed, piles of clothes, anything combustible, they need to be three feet away. The problem we've run into every year, especially in the older homes is the multiple space heaters."
In older homes, the old style of wiring can have issues with the draw multiple space heaters give across the electrical system.
"That's where we get a lot of our fires, is actually from the overloaded circuits in the wiring itself, not necessarily the space heater," Cain said. "You need to keep that in mind. The other issue we run into quite a bit is people who have gas stoves turn those stoves on and use that for heat. That also produces quite a bit of carbon monoxide, which builds up inside the house."
Other gas powered heaters, like propane heaters are also not recommended, because of the CO risk.
"Carbon monoxide is odorless," Cain said. "You can't smell it. You can't sit there and detect it. That's where those carbon monoxide detectors come in. Carbon monoxide mixes readily with the air. It's not just concentrated up at the ceiling, or down at the floor, it's just everywhere in the house and it continues to build up."
Stay home if at all possible in this cold and wear lots of layers to conserve body heat before using additional heat sources beyond what came with the home.