CHAGRIN FALLS — With the freezing cold temperatures many people are turning to alternative heat sources.
We went over to the fire house to see how long it would take for an older space heater to catch something on fire.
We had a fully dressed firefighter standing by, then we plugged it in. Within 45 seconds, smoke, and a little over a minute and a half later, fire.
We tested this heater using the worst case scenario, but don’t be fooled, this could happen at your home too! But you can prevent it. Here are a few tips.
- Keep it 3 feet away from anything combustible that’s going to burn… drapes any kind of bedding.
- Any time you leave or go to sleep you want to turn that space heater off.
- Don’t overload your circuits. A lot of people plug that into an extension cord and overload that.
They also recommend you buy a heater that is UL listed. It’s a small investment that will keep you warm and more importantly keeps you safe.