With only a few days remaining in 2018, fire fatalities in Tennessee have already exceeded their totals from 2017. The Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office is advising Volunteer State residents that the cold weather season is the deadliest time of the year, and fire-safe behaviors could be the difference between life and death when it comes to home heating fires.
Heating equipment is the leading cause of home fire deaths nationally and the second leading known cause in Tennessee. From November 2017 through the end of February 2018, 33 Tennesseans lost their lives in accidental residential structure fires. Heating was the most common known cause of these fires, causing seven fatalities alone during that time period.
To help Tennesseans stay fire safe, officials advise you to give space heaters space. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, use space heaters that have automatic shut-off features. If the heater tips over, it shuts off.
Always turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed, and never use your oven to heat your home.