Fire officials urge heater safety as temperatures drop in Florida
LIVE IN LONGWOOD. GREG FOX WESH TWO NEWS. ALL RIGHT, GREG, THANK YOU. STAYING WARM IS A MUST THIS WEEKEND FOR MOST OF US. THAT MEANS TURNING ON THE HEATER. AND THAT’S GOT FIREFIGHTERS IN VOLUSIA COUNTY WANTING TO WARN PEOPLE ABOUT THE DANGERS THAT CAN COME UP WHEN YOU TURN THAT ON. WESH 2 NEWS PAMELA COMME LIVE IN ORANGE CITY WITH THE STEPS THAT COULD END UP SAVING YOUR LIFE. PAM. YEAH, WELL, IF YOU DO HAVE A SPACE HEATER, THEY SAY TO KEEP IT AT LEAST THREE FEET AWAY FROM ANYTHING THAT CAN EASILY CATCH FIRE. LIKE YOUR BLANKETS, YOUR BED, YOUR CURTAINS. THEY ALSO SAY TO REGULARLY CHECK YOUR CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMS AND DETECTORS. CHANGING THAT BATTERY AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR. SO HERE’S AN EXAMPLE. WHEN TEMPERATURES DROP AND THE HEATERS IN OUR HOMES ARE TURNED ON, FIREFIGHTERS SAY THEY OFTEN SEE AN INCREASE IN FIRE CALLS. TYPICALLY, WHAT WE FIND IN THE INVESTIGATION IS, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVEN’T BEEN SERVICED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR BECAUSE THEY HAVEN’T BEEN USED OR SOMETIMES WITH SPACE HEATERS, JUST A LACK OF CARE AS FAR AS YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY’RE STORED, WHAT THEY’RE PLACED ON, HOW THEY’RE PLUGGED IN. SO WE ASKED ORANGE CITY FIRE CAPTAIN KYLE TAYLOR WHAT SOME OF THE MOST COMMON ISSUES ARE. YOUR SHEETS ON THE BED, BLANKETS DRAPING OVER, LAYING ON THE HEATER, AS WELL AS PLUGGING THEM IN. RIGHT. SO WE DON’T WANT TO PLUG THEM IN TO WHERE THERE’S A LOT OF WIRES AND CONNECTIONS WHERE IT COULD OVERHEAT THAT SOURCE. TAYLOR SAYS YOU SHOULD NEVER USE A SECONDHAND SPACE HEATER. INSTEAD, ALWAYS BUY ONE BRAND NEW. SOME MODELS EVEN COME WITH A BUILT IN SAFETY FEATURE LIKE THIS ONE. IF IT TIPS OVER, IT AUTOMATICALLY SHUTS OFF. ANOTHER CONCERN DURING THE WINTER TIME IS CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. TAYLOR SAYS IT’S HAPPENED BEFORE PEOPLE BRING THEIR OUTDOOR GRILLS INSIDE THEIR HOMES TO TRY AND STAY WARM AND IF NOT IN AN OPEN, VENTILATED ENVIRONMENT, THEY CAN TEND TO BUILD UP THAT CARBON MONOXIDE AND CAUSE AN ISSUE FOR THOSE INDIVIDUALS. HE ADDS SIMPLE STEPS LIKE CHECKING DETECTORS AND SWITCHING OUT THE BATTERIES AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR COULD ALSO MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE. AND IF YOU DO NEED HELP SWITCHING OUT YOUR BATTERIES, THEY DO SAY THAT YOU CAN CALL YOUR LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT, HELP SET UP AN APPOINTMENT, AND THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO HEAD OUT TO YOUR HOME AND HELP YOU SWITCH OUT THOSE BATTERIES TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS WORKI
Fire officials urge heater safety as temperatures drop in Florida
Updated: 4:59 PM EST Jan 30, 2026
As temperatures drop and heaters in homes are turned on, firefighters say they often see an increase in fire calls.Orange City Fire Captain Kyle Taylor says many of the fires his department investigates involve heating equipment that has not been properly maintained.“Typically, what we find in the investigation is they have not been serviced throughout the year,” Taylor said. “Sometimes with space heaters, it is a lack of care, where they are stored, what they are placed on and how they are plugged in.”Taylor says some of the most common issues include items placed too close to heaters and unsafe electrical connections.“Sheets on the bed, blankets draping over or lying on the heater,” he said. “As well as plugging them in where there are a lot of wires and connections. That can overheat the source.”Fire officials also warn against using secondhand space heaters. Taylor recommends buying new heaters and choosing models with built-in safety features, such as automatic shut-off systems that activate if the heater tips over.Another concern during the winter months is carbon monoxide poisoning. Taylor says incidents have occurred when people bring outdoor grills inside their homes in an effort to stay warm.“If not in an open, ventilated environment, they could build up that carbon monoxide and cause an issue for those individuals,” he said.Taylor adds that simple steps such as checking smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replacing batteries at least once a year can make a big difference.
ORANGE CITY, Fla. —
As temperatures drop and heaters in homes are turned on, firefighters say they often see an increase in fire calls.
Orange City Fire Captain Kyle Taylor says many of the fires his department investigates involve heating equipment that has not been properly maintained.
“Typically, what we find in the investigation is they have not been serviced throughout the year,” Taylor said. “Sometimes with space heaters, it is a lack of care, where they are stored, what they are placed on and how they are plugged in.”
Taylor says some of the most common issues include items placed too close to heaters and unsafe electrical connections.
“Sheets on the bed, blankets draping over or lying on the heater,” he said. “As well as plugging them in where there are a lot of wires and connections. That can overheat the source.”
Fire officials also warn against using secondhand space heaters. Taylor recommends buying new heaters and choosing models with built-in safety features, such as automatic shut-off systems that activate if the heater tips over.
Another concern during the winter months is carbon monoxide poisoning. Taylor says incidents have occurred when people bring outdoor grills inside their homes in an effort to stay warm.
“If not in an open, ventilated environment, they could build up that carbon monoxide and cause an issue for those individuals,” he said.
Taylor adds that simple steps such as checking smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and replacing batteries at least once a year can make a big difference.