MN Winter Weather Awareness Week: Fire Safety

November 4th through the 8th is Winter Hazard Awareness Week in Minnesota. Each year the National Weather Service promotes winter safety, and today the focus is fire safety.

Facts

Cooking is usually the number one cause for residential fires, with open flames and heating fires often the number two and three causes
Most heating fires in Minnesota involve fireplaces or chimneys
Almost three-quarters of fire deaths occur in the home, making it the most dangerous place to be with regard to fire
Many home fire deaths occur in homes without working smoke detectors

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Safety Information

Turn off portable heating appliances when leaving the home or retiring for the evening. This includes verifying that a fire in the fireplace has been fully extinguished
Have at least 3 feet of clearance between any heating equipment and anything that can burn. Keep children and loose clothing away from any heating equipment
Have chimneys and fireplaces and other heating devices professionally inspected prior to the start of every heating season
Use a sturdy screen or glass closure in front of your fireplace, and burn only clean fireplace wood
Make sure smoke detectors are installed on every level of your home, including your basement. Test them monthly
Place holiday decorations well away from heat sources. If you use a tree, water it daily as a dry tree can be consumed by fire in an instant while generating enough heat to ignite the entire room

The above recommendations are courtesy of the Minnesota State Fire Chiefs' Association and the State Fire Marshal Division. For further information, contact: