Staying Safe While Staying Warm

Each year, hundreds of people across the country die because of fires started by heating equipment. There are some simple things you can do to keep you and your family safe.
As temperatures continue to decrease on the Coast, many people look to space heaters to warm up. Be sure to keep those heaters at least three feet away from things in the home that can burn, such as upholstered furniture, clothing, and bedding. Also, never use an extension cord with a space heater and always supervise children and pets around them.
“A lot of people sleep with space heaters and they’re fine for keeping the house warm, but anything combustible such as your blankets or covers falling off the bed and getting too close to those can cause problems. You need to keep your pets away from them. A pet can knock these things over so they can cause some serious problems, space heaters can,” said Assistant Chief Mark Dronet with the Biloxi Fire Department.
Fire officials also say to never use your oven to warm up your home and install and maintain a carbon monoxide detector to avoid risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.