Office of the Fire Marshal

Focus on Fire Safety - Portable Heaters

An estimated 900 portable heater fires in homes are reported to U.S. fire departments each year and cause an estimated 70 deaths, 150 injuries and $53 million in property loss. Only two percent of heating fires in homes involve portable heaters; however, portable heaters are involved in 45 percent of all fatal heating fires in homes!

You can prevent a portable heater fire in your home this winter by following a few fire safety steps:

• Turn heaters off when you go to bed or leave the room.
• Keep anything that can burn such as bedding, clothing and curtains at least three feet away.
• Only use portable heaters from a recognized testing laboratory and with an automatic shut-off so that if they tip over, they shut off.
• Plug portable heaters directly into outlets and never into an extension cordor power strip.
• Learn more about portable heaters and fire safety at www.usfa.fema.gov/heating