Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Sandra Yi and Whit Johnson reportingTwo house fires in 24 hours have fire officials warning about fire hazards, especially now that temperatures are beginning to dip. A little home inspection before you crank up the heat could save your life.
Firefighters say the scene of a fire in West Valley City may not have had working smoke detectors. Another fire last night in Ogden destroyed a home and investigators believe a kerosene heater had something to do with it.
Deputy Chief Dave Owens, Ogden Fire Dept.: "We're running into the cold season and we're going to see people using more and more different fuel fire appliances."
The dangers are they can catch fire or, without proper ventilation, lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Dave Owens: "Always, every year, we have fatalities across the state from CO poisoning."
Change your furnace filters frequently and a carbon monoxide detector is not a bad idea either. Fire officials say chimneys need to be cleaned once a year and furnace rooms need to be cleared of clutter. Also, test smoke detectors.
Other sources of heating can also be a danger.
Jim Manwill has worked in home heating for years and says one of the most common mistakes is keeping things too close to the water heater or furnace.
Jim Manwill / Manwill Plumbing, Heating & Air-conditioning: "When we talk about flammables people think of newspapers and paper items but especially your paints and gasolines keep those out of the furnace room get those out of the house completely."
Firefighters say the cold weather will always come with fires in the home. Some of them caused by portable electric heaters; others from un-maintained appliances. But for almost all of them, a little awareness could stop the flames before they ignite.
Jim Manwill / Manwill Plumbing, Heating & Air-conditioning: "If anything goes wrong with that furnace you can actually have a small fire inside here."
