As the weather gets colder, a lot of us reach for our reliable space heaters to stay warm.
But before you plug one in this season, there’s an important safety warning you should hear.
Winter is approaching, and with it comes a rise in potential dangers — including the increased risk of house fires, something many people are already aware of. This is why it’s especially important to stay cautious and double-check that all your smoke alarms are functioning properly.
There’s another hazard you need to keep in mind, one that has been highlighted for years and is still just as crucial now.
“You should never plug a heater into a power strip,” the Umatilla County Fire District #1 in Hermiston, Oregon, cautioned in a Facebook post back in 2017.
They even included a picture of a burned-up power strip to drive the message home. “These devices aren’t built to carry the amount of current a space heater requires, and they can overheat or even ignite because of the extra electrical load.”
The post spread fast, gathering over 17,000 shares, and hundreds of people chimed in with frightening experiences of their own.
“I had one in my house catch fire years ago,” someone wrote.
“Good thing I woke up.”
“I had no idea,” another person admitted.
The warning isn’t hypothetical.
Can climb to 500°F to 600°F
Fire departments have been called to countless incidents caused by this exact mistake. In 2017, the Toledo Fire Department in Ohio issued its own alert after responding to a blaze started by a space heater. The heater ignited a couch, and firefighters stressed:
“If you’re going to use them, you need to make sure you’re using them safely. Keep at least three feet of space around the heater,” said Sterling Rahe, the department’s Public Information Officer.
Space heaters can heat up to between 500 and 600 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes them extremely dangerous if left alone or used improperly. Firefighters continue to stress one message: always plug heaters straight into a wall outlet, never into a power strip, and always keep an eye on them while they’re running. “A lot of these fires have the same pattern,” Rahe added.
“Someone walked away and left things unattended.”
The numbers speak for themselves. Between 2009 and 2013, heating equipment caused an estimated 56,000 home fires in the United States, leading to 470 deaths, 1,490 injuries, and about $1 billion in property damage, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
Almost half of these fires occur in December, January, and February, and space heaters alone are responsible for two out of every five heating-related fires.
The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) offers five essential safety guidelines for using space heaters:
• Turn them off and unplug them when you leave the room or go to sleep.
• Maintain a three-foot clear zone around the heater.
• Plug them directly into a wall outlet — never an extension cord or power strip — and don’t share the outlet with anything else.
• Install smoke alarms on every level of the home and outside bedrooms; test them once a month.
• Place heaters on flat, stable surfaces — never on furniture, counters, or carpet.
Extension cords and power strips are fine for small electronics, but they simply can’t handle the electrical demand of a space heater. The excess load can make them overheat, spark, and potentially start a deadly fire. As the Umatilla County Fire District reminded everyone:
“The temperatures are dropping, and people are pulling out their space heaters. We want to remind you NEVER to plug a heater into a power strip. They are not designed for the high current a heater draws and can overheat or catch fire. Please share and stay safe this winter.”
Pass this along to friends and family — it could save someone’s life this season.