Following Thursday’s tragic fire in East Vancouver, firefighters warn that old space heaters may be putting your family at risk.
A toddler died and three others were sent to hospital after a fire ripped through a home on Nootka Street on Thursday afternoon. Firefighters said the probable cause of the blaze was two space heaters located near the bed of the toddler who died.
Following the fatal fire, officials issued a warning.
“Don’t use the space heater that you found in your grandparents’ attic,” Jonathan Gormick of Vancouver Fire & Rescue said. “Space heater technology has come a long way, they’re far more efficient and the old ones draw a ton of power.
“The results from a malfunctioning space heater…can be tragic.”
WATCH: Space heaters blamed for deadly East Vancouver house fire
Fire officials said people should ensure their space heater meets North American safety standards — an ETL certification is an absolute must.
Many new heaters turn off automatically when they are tipped over. Still the new technology is not a safety guarantee.
“You don’t want to be putting it close to drapes, you don’t want to be putting it close to bedding,” Woogman said.
A good rule of thumb, experts say, is to keep the heater at least one metre away from any combustible materials and never use an extension cord.
– With files from Rumina Daya, Yuliya Talmazan and Jill Slattery
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