Officials Renew the Call for Winter Heating Safety After Several Structure Fires

(KNSI) — Public safety officials are renewing their call for fire safety after at least two structure fires in Stearns County within a week.

The first happened February 19th in Eden Lake Township just southwest of Roscoe when a neighbor said they heard a boom and saw flames coming from the home. A three stall unattached garage was fully engulfed. Inside the garage was a new truck, a snow blower, a riding lawnmower and other miscellaneous items, all of which are considered a total loss. The exact cause of that fire is undetermined, but say it is not believed to be suspicious.

The second fire happened February 21st in Collegeville Township. First responders were alerted to the blaze thanks to a passerby. They drove to the fire and determined it was an outbuilding at a farm site. The Stearns County Sheriff’s Office says when crews arrived, they found a chicken coop that was fully engulfed. Eight laying hens lived inside of it. It’s not clear what started that fire, but the coop did contain a heat lamp.

Experts say due to various heating sources like fireplaces, space heaters, and candles, residential fires increase from November to March, with January and February being the peak. According to the National Fire Protection Agency, fire departments responded to an estimated average of 44,210 fires involving heating equipment per year in 2016-2020, accounting for 13% of all reported home fires during this time. These fires resulted in annual losses of 480 civilian deaths, 1,370 civilian injuries, and more than $1 billion in direct property damage.

Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater. Have a three foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters, and never use your oven to heat your home.

More winter fire safety tips can be found by clicking here.

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