SMYRNA, Ga. — With temperatures dropping Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, you might be thinking it's time to plug in that space heater to stay warm.
Heating your home through a system can get expensive. Grabbing a space heater to warm one room can save you a penny, but it comes with its risks.
On Saturday, a Paulding County man died when a kerosene heater tipped over, causing his home to catch fire.
Additionally, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates more than 1,700 residential fires each year are connected to the use of space heaters.
How to safely use a space heater
Smyrna Fire and Emergency Management shared some safety tips to help keep you safe.
"Use a reputable company when you purchase one," Smyrna Fire Battalion Chief Eric Farmer said. "The biggest thing is to make sure that has been tested and inspected by UL."
It stands for Underwriters Laboratory, meaning it passes the tip-over test. If it doesn't, Farmer said your risk of fire could go up.
"A lot of times, it's being stored close to flammable liquids, or they're unattended," Farmer said.
He suggested keeping heaters away from combustible items.
"When you're using a space heater, they need to be on flat ground," Farmer said.
Farmer said to be sure there are three feet of space around it. He said to never plug a heater into a surge protector or extension cord, but if something goes wrong, you want to be awake to get to safety and call for help.
"Don't go to sleep when you get your space heater running," Farmer said.
Plus, keep the heater away from trip hazards, especially pets, children and other obstructions. Smyrna Fire Emergency Management Specialist and Public Information Officer Evan McBrayer said his crews are prepared for an influx of weather-related calls, but they're hoping fires caused by space heaters won't be one of them.
"Keep them away from walls, away from corners. [Be sure] nothing's draped on them because they do, obviously, get very hot," McBrayer said. "And we don't want that risk of fire to go up."
Smyrna Fire also encourages people to turn their heaters off when they leave a room and unplug it when it's not in use.