The American Red Cross of Alaska Disaster Action Team volunteers have responded to an increased number of home fires within the past week. Since the beginning of the year, trained disaster volunteers have provided comfort, care, and recovery assistance to more than 65 people as a result from more than 20 home fires across the state.
The cold temperatures have been hitting negative numbers throughout the past couple of weeks, and the snowfall has been hitting nearly record-breaking numbers in areas such as Anchorage, which ultimately has resulted in a higher usage of internal home heating equipment.
However, these items have been identified as one of the leading causes of home fires.
Individuals need to have the ability to heat their homes but do it safely.
Kenai Fire Marshal Jeremy Hamilton does offer some safety tips to help avoid the worst from happening.
“We never want to leave [space heaters] unattended. Never leave your room or don’t leave your house if you have a space heater going. We want your space heaters 3 feet from combustibles–a lot of people will kind of put them up next to [their] couches. I see it a lot of times when I go into offices, they’ll be underneath people’s desks, and so we want those things to be away from combustibles where that radiant heat could slowly heat things and cause combustible materials to ignite,” said Hamilton.
It’s also recommended that if you do choose to use a space heater, be sure to keep it away from any other flammable items such as rugs, drapes, and any other furniture. Be sure to place the heater on a hard, nonflammable surface, such as a ceramic tile floor.
If you have a fireplace or any fire burning, ensure that all the embers are extinguished before going to bed or leaving the house. Also, be sure to use a glass or metal fire screen to keep the embers in place.
And never use a cooking range or oven to heat your home.
It’s also reminded that individuals should test their smoke alarms monthly, and to always practice your fire safety escape plan with your family.
Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, You can also download our free Emergency app (search “American Red Cross” in app stores).