As the northern hemisphere tilts away from the sun and the long, dark nights of winter begin to settle in, a familiar ritual takes place in households across the country. Thermostats are cranked up, heavy blankets are pulled from the depths of linen closets, and families gather to combat the creeping chill.
In millions of homes, particularly those with drafty windows or uneven central heating, the supplemental space heater becomes the MVP of the season. These compact devices are miracles of modern convenience, capable of turning a freezing bedroom or a chilly home office into a toasted sanctuary in a matter of minutes. However, beneath the warm glow of these coils lies a significant, often overlooked danger that firefighters are desperate for the public to understand.
There is a common misconception that a plug is simply a plug, and that any electrical outlet or extension can handle any device. This assumption, while understandable, is proving to be a catastrophic mistake for homeowners every single year. As we enter the peak of heating season, fire departments from Oregon to Ohio are issuing a unified, urgent warning: never, under any circumstances, plug a space heater into a power strip or a surge protector.
Continue reading next page…