Firefighters advise caution during winter months

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Nov. 14 house fire in southeast Cedar Rapids started with a space heater, according to city officials.

The blaze, which sent one person to the hospital, serves as a reminder that as temperatures go down, things heat up for firefighters. The winter months are typically the busiest for firefighters, according to Cedar Rapids Public Safety spokesman Greg Buelow.

'December through February are typically the busiest months of the year for fire departments throughout the country when it comes to residential fires,” he said.

Buelow said between Nov. 1, 2013 and April 1, 2014, Cedar Rapids fire crews responded to two fires caused by candles, two by heat from powered equipment and five caused by hot embers or ash. Furthermore, space heaters account for one-third of home heating fires and four out of five home heating fire deaths nationwide, Buelow said.

The cold weather impacts the fire department's workload in other ways, Buelow said. For instance, home cooking fires are more common this time of year as more people are cooking in doors, rather than firing up the grill.

'One quarter of all fires in Cedar Rapids are caused by food left unattended,” Buelow said. 'There are a lot of distractions around the holidays, as well. You have protracted cooking times where it makes it more difficult.”

The winter months are also when homeowners start firing up the furnace and fireplace. This can cause problems when the furnace hasn't been properly serviced or the fireplace hasn't been adequately cleaned. Buelow said the build up in a dirty fireplace can catch fire and spread to the attic or walls of the house.

'The other thing we get concerned about is the fact that sometimes people burn things other than wood,” such as wrapping paper, Buelow said. 'Wrapping paper goes out the chimney and can land on the roof or the neighbor's roof and that can cause a problem.”

All heat sources, such as fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators or space heaters, should be kept at least three feet away from any heat sources, Buelow said. In the case of the Nov. 14 house fire in Cedar Rapids, a couch caught fire due from the heat of the space heater.

One more thing people need to keep in mind during the winter months is carbon monoxide. Buelow said there were 22 calls for the presence of carbon monoxide in homes in 2013.

'One could have been lethal,” he said.

Carbon monoxide can build up slowly via a leak in a gas appliance or there can be a rapid build up by opening the door to a garage where a vehicle has been running. Carbon monoxide poisoning causes flu or food poisoning-like symptoms and can be deadly.

Buelow suggests installing carbon monoxide alarms and testing them at least once a month.