Temps Near Zero Tuesday Night, Sparta Chief Says Keep Fire Safety In Mind

With temperatures tonight expected around zero, staying warm will be key, but Sparta Fire Chief Kirk Young said safety is equally important.

Young said many people neglect fire safety in efforts to keep warm. He said the most common thing he sees is fires caused by space heaters.

“They have a space heater there and then they have a rug that the wire is under the rug hooked to an outlet across the room,” Young said. “That plastic cord will finally break and catch that carpet or rug on fire and catch that home on fire.”

Young said never use an oven to help heat your home.

Young said a good rule of thumb is to keep blankets and furniture at least three feet away from space heaters and any open flames like fireplaces and wood-burning stoves.

“It’s easy for them to start a fire,” Young said. “Always have people check their wood burning stoves and fire place. Make sure you have those inspected once a year, because things can get clogged up in there and cause a fire.”

Young said while it is tempting to leave space heaters and fireplaces on to warm us while we sleep, he said this is extremely dangerous. He said to turn them off before going to bed.

As we crank up heat, Young said be wary of the smell of natural gas. He said if you do smell gas in your home to leave the premise immediately and call emergency services.

Finally, Young said this week provides a great chance to check your alarm systems and to make sure you have an emergency plan in place.

“You need to test your smoke alarms or carbon monoxide at least once a month to make sure they’re working properly, and if you don’t have smoke alarms, check with your local fire department to see if they have smoke alarms that they can install for you,” Young said.