COLUMBIA-- As temperatures drop, more Midlands residents are relying on space heaters to stay warm. Those devices cause thousands of fires each year.Tonight a Columbia family is homeless after officials say their kerosene heater ignited. The blaze happened on Beaumont Avenue around 6:30 this morning.
Sandra Prescott and her family were able to make it out safely, but they lost everything.
Prescott says, "My mom yelled the heater's on fire, and we ran out as quickly as we could."
According to Deputy Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins, residents who use space heaters need to operate them properly. He says, "Never run one within three feet of other objects."
Here are some tips to safety use space heaters:
- Use heaters that have been certified by a national lab
- Keep children and pets away
- Turn them off when you leave or go to bed
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