As temperatures drop this winter and more RV and home owners are turning to portable space heaters to warm up, officials in Texas are urging people to take caution.
According to the Wilson County News in Floresville, Texas, two RVs were destroyed in a fire caused by an unattended space heater this month at an RV park in Seguin.
"People who were using space heaters either overloaded it or placed it too close to something combustible," New Berlin Volunteer Fire Department chief Kurt Strey said. "A lady who was sleeping inside woke up to a trailer full of smoke and kicked out a window to escape. She narrowly escaped with her life."
Officials say space heaters should be at least three feet away from other items on all sides to avoid problems.
Strey told the newspaper that he suggests carefully choosing the placement of a space heater prior to its operation and making sure to keep it at a safe distance from clothes, towels,
furniture, and other flammable items.
Free space heater safety brochures are available at www.heatersafety.org or by calling 1-888-785-SAFE.