NEW ORLEANS – Did you know that more than half of reported home fires happen during December, January and February. In many of the cases, heating equipment was the cause.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, heating equipment like space heaters was involved in more than 54,000 fires between 2011 and 2015. During that same time span, 480 people died, nearly 1,500 were hurt and $1.1 billion in property was damaged.
Space heaters were responsible for 85 percent of home heating deaths. One main factor: failure to clean heating equipment like chimneys. Another leading cause of fatal fires included placing clothing, mattresses or bedding to close to heating equipment.
How to prevent house fires:
- Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from a furnace, wood stove or space heater.
- Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
- Never use the oven to heat your home
WWL-TV reporter Duke Carter can be reached at dcarter@wwltv.com; Follow him on Twitter at @dcarterii