When the weather outside is frightful, the fire is so delightful. The image of a roaring fire in the hearth is a tradition — a staple of holiday songs, movies, and greeting cards. And while you may or may not actually have a fireplace, we all must heat our home one way or another.
In the U.S., most homes are primarily heated with natural gas, with electricity and fuel oil as the next most common heat sources. Most homes also have supplemental heat sources such as fireplaces and space heaters. These are life-giving sources of warmth, but they’re not without risk. Over 30,000 fires and 165 deaths occur due to home heating each year in the U.S., and over 100,000 emergency room visits and 400 deaths result from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.
First, let’s talk about household fire safety. Heating fires are much less common than cooking fires, but are more likely to be deadly. What can we do to protect ourselves from home fires?
Always keep flammable materials away from heat sources, especially large appliances like the fireplace, furnace, and water heaters. Plug space heaters directly into the wall; never connect them to an extension cord or power strip. Extinguish fires and turn off portable heaters when leaving the room. Have chimneys and vents inspected and cleaned annually.
Smoke detectors have been mandatory in residences built in the U.S. since 1976. This has contributed to a roughly 3-fold decrease in home fires and fire deaths between 1980 and 2018. Make sure your home has working smoke detectors, and if your smoke detectors give a low battery chirp you should change the batteries right away.
That said, not every smoke detector is also a carbon monoxide detector. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas produced by combustion, as in a fireplace, stove, furnace, or gasoline or diesel engine. Electrical heating doesn’t produce CO. Unlike smoke, CO is odorless, colorless, and non-irritating. CO neither rises nor sinks in air, but can distribute evenly through an enclosed air space.
Inhaling CO results in the gradual buildup of carboxyhemoglobin, which prevents proper oxygen release from the bloodstream. The symptoms of acute CO poisoning resemble a flu or stomach virus, with headache, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, rapid heart rate, lethargy, or malaise. High-level CO poisoning could progress to seizures, coma, and death within hours. Chronic low-level CO poisoning can result in vague symptoms like fatigue, depression, sleep, memory, or vision changes. Smokers are more susceptible to CO poisoning due to the fact that they are constantly exposed to small amounts of CO from cigarette smoke.
48 out of 50 states – all but Kansas and Hawaii – require carbon monoxide detectors in new homes and apartments. But since many U.S. residences were built before these laws were passed, about 36 percent of U.S. homes lack CO detectors as of 2024. Some states and municipalities require landlords to install and maintain CO detectors, but this is not true everywhere. If you’re a homeowner, you are responsible for maintaining your own CO detectors. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) recommends that every home have at least one carbon monoxide alarm for each floor of the home, preferably placed near the sleeping areas.
One common cause of carbon monoxide poisoning is the use of unintentional heating appliances to heat the home. It may seem tempting to use a gas-burning stove or oven to heat the home, but these appliances are not designed for indoor heating. Their ventilation may hold up to a few hours of cooking, but they’re insufficient for prolonged daily use. The same applies to using a gas-burning clothes dryer for home heating. If you need more heat than your furnace can provide, use something like a space heater that’s designed for indoor heating.
So, I wish you all a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May your days be filled with joy, and may your home be safe and warm!
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