00:00Unfortunately, winter and house fires do go hand in hand.
00:05Here's a residential structure fire from Dallas, Texas.
00:08This happens to be from about five years ago, a winter mess during that deep freeze there.
00:14Cold air does lead to an increase in fire danger as people find more methods, sometimes unsafe, to heat their home.
00:23The frigid air is locked in. About 260 million of us are facing temperatures this week, at least at some point this week, and for most of us most of this week, 10 degrees below the historical average or colder.
00:35So that does spark more fire risk because people are using different methods to heat their homes, and some of these methods are not safe.
00:44There are places where power outages continue, and that really leads to some potentially dangerous methods used to heat homes.
00:51So if you are using heating equipment like some kind of a space heater, space heaters are so dangerous, you've got to be really careful with them.
00:58Make sure they're on a flat, non-flammable surface, and it's always important to have your heating system inspected or at least be aware of the risk.
01:08And again, some of you may have a pellet stove versus a traditional fireplace.
01:11That may lead to the need to make sure your chimney is swept or at least inspected on an annual or nearly annual basis.
01:19Never leave a fireplace unattended.
01:22I'm a volunteer firefighter, and I've been to fires where people take the ashes that they believe are cool, and they put them in a paper bag in their kitchen.
01:29They run out somewhere. The fire hadn't been burning for a day or two, and they come home, and their house is on fire.
01:34You've got to have smoke detectors. It's so important, critically important.
01:37They save so many lives every year.
01:38And also, if you are responsible for the care of somebody who may not be mobile on their own, make sure that they have a good way to get out.
01:47People with special needs need to have a way out as well.
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