Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Joshua Lucero: Staff photo With winter settling in, residents will be using a variety of methods, like the pellet stoves, as a supplemental heat source in their homes. Local fire chiefs suggest keeping flammable items such as clothes at least three feet away from heating appliances.
link Joshua Lucero: Staff photo
With winter settling in, residents will be using a variety of methods, like the pellet stoves, as a supplemental heat source in their homes. Local fire chiefs suggest keeping flammable items such as clothes at least three feet away from heating appliances.
Staff writer
With frigid temperatures settling in for the winter, local residents are urged to use caution when keeping warm.
Portales Fire Chief Gary Nuckols said the winter months tend to see more house fires than during the warmer seasons due to improper heating methods.
“We see a lot more fires this time of year. People are using a lot of different heating appliances,” Nuckols said.
Nuckols said space heaters are the leading cause of winter house fires in the area. The heaters can be hazardous if tipped over or set too close to flammable items like clothing.
Nuckols said overloaded electrical sockets can also be a hazard during the holidays. An excess of heating appliances or decorative lights can cause an outlet to throw sparks that could catch the wall or items surrounding the outlet on fire.
Fireplaces, wood pellet stoves, and candles should be monitored closely and kept clear of anything flammable Nuckols said. Fire places should have a glass or mesh screen around them to prevent embers from escaping and potentially causing a fire.
Nuckols said chimneys should be properly cleaned before use to prevent fires and smoke buildup in homes.
“We try to encourage people to be aware of what they put around the heat source and to make sure nothing flammable is close by,” Nuckols said.
He said clothing and other flammable items should be kept at least three feet away from the heat source.
Nuckols suggests residents do not use any gas cooking appliances to heat their homes because of a potential build up of carbon monoxide.
Christmas trees are another holiday fire hazard.
Nuckols said Christmas trees should be watered frequently so they do not become dry and brittle. He said the trees become a fire hazard when they dry out because the lights on them can get hot enough to catch the dry needles on fire.
For residents that live outside the city, Dora Fire Chief Paul Luscombe suggests cleaning debris away from houses and trees.
Luscombe said the cold weather and lack of moisture has led to dry grass and plants in the area. He said the dry grass and brush can easily catch fire.
Luscombe warns that winds can spread a fire quickly when combined with dry, flammable fuel. He said residents should keep fuel, such as fire wood and propane tanks, away from the house and anything flammable.
