Another problem Monday noted is that people do not replace light sets with frayed wires or bad connections. Monday recommended throwing the damaged lights away and replacing them with a new, safe set. Before using a heating system for the first time each winter, Monday said it is a good precaution to have the system checked by a fuel supplier or a qualified technician. Heaters need space. Furniture, kindling and curtains should be kept out of that three-foot safety area.
Fire burns up and out.
It's easy for it to spread to curtains that may be within that three-foot radius. Monday said he believes space heater are particularly dangerous. It's easy to get careless because of their mobility. At least once a year, Monday said someone accidentally pours gas into a kerosene heater, often because of container misuse. Never store gas in a kerosene container or vice versa, because the result can be a deadly, he advised.