The cold weather forecasted for this weekend may prompt some residents to get out their space heaters for extra warmth.
Big Spring Fire Marshal Dan Hendrickson noted that portable electric space heaters can be a convenient source of additional heat for your home or office in cold weather, but they can also pose significant fire and electric shock hazards if not used properly.
"You gotta make sure that any combustible materials - bedding, clothes, laundry - are at least 3 feet away from a space heater or heater. The other thing that you gotta take into account is that the power cords for these units," said Hendrickson. "That's a lot of energy traveling through that power cord, so you never want to use extension cords or anything like that, but you also want to make sure that you don't have anything lying on top of the cords because air is actually what keeps the power cords cool and keeps them from overheating."
He noted that if an extension/electrical cord is covered, it will build up heat and will melt the insulation, causing a structure fire.
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