With residential fires on the rise in Northeast Georgia over the past month, local emergency officials are issuing warnings about things in the cold-weather months that can increase fire risks.
Hall County Fire Marshal's Office Division Chief Michael Vieira said one of the biggest causes of house fires this time of year is space heaters.
"Electric heaters tend to cause fires because sometimes people forget and they leave them on, and the heater might be too close to a piece of furniture or something that overheats and catches on fire," Vieira said.
He recommends those who use space heaters to get ones with a tilt feature that automatically turns the heater off if it is knocked over.
With the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays comes family get-togethers, which means a lot of cooking. Vieira said cooking fires also spike during the holiday season.
"Cooking fires have maintained the top spot for the number one cause of house fires for a couple of years, and the main reason for that is unattended cooking," Vieira said. "Oftentimes, people will get a phone call or they'll have to step out of the kitchen to deal with their kids, and they end up staying out of the kitchen longer than they think they've been out there and then they come back and there's a grease fire or something's burning. Stay in the kitchen and watch the food."
Vieira added that practicing good safety with electrical wiring can also help prevent winter fires. He said extension cords should be kept in areas where they won't be frequently stepped on and appliances should always be plugged directly into wall outlets, never into extension cords.
"Just keep your electrical wiring up to date and check for damages," Vieira said. "If they are damaged or worn, replace them. If you have questions, call a licensed electrician to come check it out."
To hear more from Hall County Fire Marshal's Office Division Chief Michael Vieira on winter fire safety, click play on the audio above.
