Space Heater Fires on the Rise

Crews at the Columbia Fire Department handled almost 50 electric fires last year and according to them, space heaters and electrical cords were some of the main causes.Battalion Columbia fire Chief Brad Frazier said, “If you’re plugging in a portable heater and it’s a 1500 Watt heater, make sure that it’s plugged into an outlet all by itself.”Besides cold weather, people also have Christmas trees up, and when they leave their lights on, they could easily start a fire. A manager at Boone Electric also said if an outlet is “warm to the touch, there is a problem, you need a bigger extension cord.”Officials say people’s reactions to electrical fires once they have started may make the problem even worse.”The best thing to do is to evacuate the house, get out of the house, and call 911, and you don’t want to put water on an electrical fire, it will make it worse, said Frazier.