LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As temperatures drop and people turn to extra heat sources like space heaters, local fire departments are urging people to be careful.
"This is our season where we have the highest frequency of fires," said Ashby Green, who is part of the Fire Prevention Bureau within Louisville Fire. "It's cold outside, people are using a lot of non-traditional heating methods."
Multiple fire departments across the county are echoing a similar message of safety.
"It's going to be bitter cold and people are going to do what they have to do to stay warm, so this week we're just trying to get the message out how to do it safely," said Jordan Yuodis, spokesperson for the Anchorage-Middletown Fire Department.
Image from Anchorage-Middletown Fire from fire on Dec. 19, 2022.
Yuodis said on Monday a kerosene heater that's believed to have malfunctioned sparked a large blaze in a home's garage.
"It wasn't necessarily the space heater being unattended or anything like that, but it goes to show, they're not safe," he said.
Louisville Fire says its department has worked 25 structure fires since Thanksgiving. Sixteen of those have been since the beginning of December.
Green said cooking fires are the most common cause of house fires year-round. Tuesday, she showed WDRB News crews a demonstration of what to do if something catches fire on a stovetop or inside an oven.
Ashby Green with Louisville Fire's Fire Prevention Bureau demonstrates fire prevention tips on Dec. 20, 2022.
"If you had a fire on something you were cooking on top of the stove you could use the lid to simply just suffocate the fire and then cut off the burner to cool down that heat source and it will go out," she explained.
Green said if something catches on fire inside the oven, don't open the door. Instead, keep the oven door shut and turn the appliance off.
Green also said to not underestimate the size of a heater, saying even a small heater can cause extensive damage if it is not used properly.
"It isn't necessarily the measurement of the original heat source, it's how flammable all of our items are in today's world and how rapidly fire spreads," she said.
Other fire prevention tips include:
- Keeping items at least 3 feet away from space heaters
- Don't plug appliances into extension cords -- that includes space heaters
- Don't leave cooking unattended
- Make sure electronics include a sticker from UL or ETL, meaning they've been lab tested and meet specific safety standards
- Don't bring a generator inside your home
Green said having a working smoke alarm is also important. She said if you do not have one, you can contact 311 to get one. There are also options for smoke alarms that have extra features such as flashing lights for individuals with limited hearing.
Related Stories:
- Fire destroys vacant house in Louisville's west end, damages 3 others
- Fire officials in Louisville urge caution ahead of bitter cold weather headed our way
- Kerosene heater causes house fire in east Louisville
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