Space heaters can pose fire danger
It seems that pretty much every winter somebody in Southern California makes the deadly mistake of trying to heat up his house with a charcoal barbecue and asphyxiates himself and/or his family.
Even space heaters can cause fire or electric shock if improperly used. The National Fire Protection Assn. reports there are about 3,000 portable heater fires annually.
Here are some safety tips for consumers when using portable electric heaters, compiled by the Assn. of Home Appliance Manufacturers, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Underwriters Laboratories and the Electrical Safety Foundation International:
-- Do not leave an operating heater unattended and always unplug heater when not in use.
-- Do not use your heater with a power strip or extension cord. Overheating of a power strip or extension cord could result in a fire.
-- Keep combustible materials, such as furniture, pillows, bedding, papers, clothes and curtains at least 3 feet from the front of the heater and away from the sides and rear. Do not block heater's air intake or outlet.
-- Keep flammable materials, such as paint, gas cans and matches, away from the heater.
-- Unless the heater is designed for outdoor use or in bathrooms, DO NOT use in damp or wet areas. Parts in the heater may be damaged by moisture.
-- Heaters should be kept away from children and not be placed in a child's room without supervision.
-- Place heater on a level, flat surface. Only use heater on table tops when specified by the manufacturer. DO NOT place your heater on furniture. It could fall, disÂlodging or breaking parts in the heater.
More safety tips are available at the Assn. of Home Appliance Manufacturers website. Be careful out there.
-- Lauren Beale
Thoughts? Comments?
Photo: Long Beach police and fire officials examine a residential fire scene last December in which two girls were killed. The blaze was thought to have been caused by a space heater plugged into an overloaded power strip. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times
Thanks for the safety tips, but I come to this blog for insight, commentary and analysis of "The rapidly changing landscape of the Los Angeles real estate market and beyond"; not for safety tips or any other off topic subjects. Just my two cents. I appreciate a focused blog as opposed to "diworseification" of the subject matter, which I interpret as filler.
Posted by: ontopic | December 05, 2008 at 02:26 PM
bingo ontopic
Posted by: arun | December 05, 2008 at 02:37 PM
Can you tell us the best places in town to see houses with christmas lights?
Posted by: D | December 05, 2008 at 06:38 PM
What the....????
What do safety tips have to do with real estate trends and general insite in California real estate???
Dear Santa:
All I want for Christmas is: LA LAND back in the hands of Peter Viles.
Thank you...
Underwriter in Texas.
Posted by: Underwriter in Texas | December 05, 2008 at 07:44 PM
Umm, what does this have to do with "THE RAPIDLY CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF THE LOS ANGELES REAL ESTATE MARKET AND BEYOND"?
Peter, please come home!
Posted by: Todd in WeHo | December 05, 2008 at 07:57 PM
I don't think too many L.A. land readers will be setting fire to their homes with the ol' space heaters any time soon...but maybe if their house is foreclosing....
Posted by: Jules | December 05, 2008 at 09:08 PM
Can someone explain what space heater safety tip have to do with real estate?
This is another reason the LA Times is in free fall.
I hope this blog improves drastically in the next couple of weeks.
Posted by: syscom3 | December 05, 2008 at 11:31 PM
One more worthless peice of information and the decline of this blog. Sam is is time to shut this down and convert the LAT headquarters to condos. The entire paper has hit bottom. Get real this is blog and others are now a side job who were forced to take it over from Peter.
Posted by: Steve | December 06, 2008 at 06:09 AM
Tough audience, eh Lauren?
Maybe Lauren was trying to point out we were
entering a period of a housing FIRE sale.
Posted by: rfw | December 06, 2008 at 06:26 AM
Surely, someone over there at the Times should have figured it out by now! Get rid of this blog and all the Times Blogs, they are stupid and a waste of the editors and columnists valuable time and talent; their time is better spent on investigative reporting and proofing what they print. Get back to the basics Times! "more is not better" PLEASE get back to the basics.
Posted by: GetRidOfTheLATimesBlogs | December 08, 2008 at 08:36 PM
Thank you, Lauren. This is a very timely reminder.
If you are a landlord or property manager, you know that fire and careless tenants are the #1 threat to your assets.
Put these safety tips on paper, put a Spanish translation on the back, and hand them out.
Posted by: coakl | December 09, 2008 at 10:37 AM