App users, tap here to watch video report.
By Tom Kowalski
ERIE, Pa. (Erie News Now) – As the temperatures drop and people look for ways to warm their homes, many may turn to space heaters.
While they may be useful, experts urge caution if you use your space heater this winter.
“You wanna make sure they’re being plugged directly into an outlet,” said Jacob Roth, Assistant Manager of the Valu Home Centers at 1523 W. 38th St. “You don’t want to [plug] them into extension cords, adapters or any power strips. You want to ensure that they’re dust free, [that] there’s nothing in front of them, and they’re ultimately not going to be near anything that can catch fire. You don’t want to leave them unattended either.”
And as holidays such as Christmas approaches, it’s also important to be careful if setting up a live tree in the living room.
“My father in law always taught me when we had our Christmas tree to take a drill, go right up the trunk of the tree and then fill it with some different cotton,” said Fred Gillespie, Deputy Chief of the City of Erie Fire Department. “So it’d be like a wick, and then make sure it’s watered properly so that the pine needles aren’t falling down. You don’t have a mess in your house, and the tree stays healthy.”
Leave a Reply