It’s been a tough two months for house fires in the Uintah Basin with half a dozen or more families displaced after their homes were a total loss. Uintah County Fire Marshal Jeremy Raymonds shares that the cause of the most recent fire remains unknown but some others last month were related to electrical issues. The following are some general tips for home heating and electrical safety: Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away from heating equipment like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater. Never use your oven to heat your home. Have a qualified professional install equipment like furnaces and water heaters according to local codes. Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional. Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed. Make sure a fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Test smoke alarms at least once a month. Install and maintain carbon monoxide alarms. Have all electrical work done by a qualified electrician and call a qualified electrician if you have frequent problems with blowing fuses, tripping circuit breakers, a tingling feeling when touching an electrical appliance, discolored or warm wall outlets, a burning or rubbery smell coming from an appliance, flickering or dimming lights, or sparks from an outlet.
