NEWS from CPSC

CPSC Warns Of Hazards from Heaters and Fireplaces

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Since this winter began, a 13-year-old girl in Fairmount Heights, Md., and a 33-year-old woman in Kansas City, Kan., died in fires ignited by electric space heaters. Three children, ages 4, 5, and 9, from Rome, N.Y., died in a fire in which bedding was pushed up against a heater. Two girls, ages 7 and 4, from Walden, N.Y., died in a fire associated with a “wood pellet” stove and a mother and son from Long Island died when their fireplace sparked a fire in the basement. Four adults and five children in Seattle, Wash., all suffered carbon monoxide poisoning when they brought a charcoal-burning hibachi inside.

During this season, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is aware of at least 51 deaths from fires started by heaters and fireplaces. The CPSC reminds consumers to follow safety precautions when purchasing and using electric or fuel-fired heaters and fireplaces.

“CPSC has worked with industry to improve safety standards for heaters, but consumers must exercise care in how they use heaters and fireplaces,” said CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton. “Every home needs working smoke alarms and a carbon monoxide alarm.”

In a recent year, there were about 10,900 residential fires and about 190 deaths associated with portable or fixed local heaters. There were 15,500 fires and 40 deaths associated with fireplaces and chimneys. And there were about 100 deaths from carbon monoxide from heating systems, ranges/ovens, and water heaters.

Heaters can cause fires if they are placed too close to flammable materials such as drapes, furniture, or bedding. Fireplaces can cause fires if the chimney is cracked, blocked, or coated with creosote, or if sparks and embers can reach flammable materials. Fuel-burning appliances can cause carbon monoxide poisoning if there is improper venting or incomplete combustion.

Additional space heater safety tips include:

• Choose a heater that has been tested to the latest safety standards and certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. These heaters will have the most up-to-date safety features, while older space heaters may not meet the newer safety standards. CPSC worked to upgrade industry standards for electric, kerosene, and vented and unvented gas space heaters. An automatic cut-off device is now required to turn off electric or kerosene heaters if they tip over. More guarding around the heating coils of electric heaters and the burner of kerosene heaters also is required to prevent fires.
  
  
• Place the heater on a level, hard and nonflammable surface, not on rugs or carpets or near bedding or drapes. Keep the heater at least three feet from bedding, drapes, furniture, or other flammable materials.
  
  
• Keep doors open to the rest of the house if you are using an unvented fuel-burning space heater. This helps prevent pollutant build-up and promotes proper combustion. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to provide sufficient combustion air to prevent carbon monoxide production.
  
  
• Never leave a space heater on when you go to sleep. Never place a space heater close to any sleeping person.
  
  
• Turn the space heater off if you leave the area. Keep children and pets away from space heaters.
  
  
• Do not use a kitchen range or oven to heat your house because it could overheat or generate carbon monoxide.
  
  
• Have a smoke alarm with fresh batteries on each level of the house and inside every bedroom. In addition, have a carbon monoxide alarm outside the bedrooms in each separate sleeping area.
  
  
• Be aware that mobile homes require specially designed heating equipment. Only electric or vented fuel-fired equipment should be used.
  
  
• Have gas and kerosene space heaters inspected annually to ensure proper operation.

Fireplace safety tips:

• Have flues and chimneys inspected before each heating season for leakage and blockage by creosote or debris.
  
  
• Open the fireplace damper before lighting the fire and keep it open until the ashes are cool. This will avert the building up of poisonous gases, especially while the family is sleeping.
  
  
• Never use gasoline, charcoal lighter or other fuel to light or relight a fire because the vapors can explode. Never keep flammable fuels or materials near a fire.
  
  
• Keep a screen or glass enclosure around a fireplace to prevent sparks or embers from igniting flammable materials.

Consumers who would like more information can view “What You Should Know about Space Heaters” at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/463.html, or receive this free CPSC booklet by sending a postcard to “Space Heater Booklet,” CPSC, Washington, DC 20207.

Consumers can also view a video clip about heater and fireplace hazards (standard version or a higher quality version - broadband connection recommended) (transcript) . This is in "streaming video" format.