December 15, 2010 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (SH2010-52) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION R. Steve Huffman Public Information Officer (251) 208-2857/Fax: (251) 208-2861 E-Mail: huffman@cityofmobile.org ELECTRIC SPACE HEATER BLAMED FOR APARTMENT FIRE An electric space heater placed too close to a sofa caused a fire in an apartment at the Berkshire Apartments, located at 4016 Seabreeze Road, North on Tuesday evening, December 14. The call was received at approximately 11:06 p.m. and when firefighters arrived they reported heavy smoke and fire showing from the first floor windows of the two-story apartment building. The occupant, Keinna Adams, told fire investigators with Mobile Fire-Rescue that she had no gas and purchased two electric space heaters to keep warm, placing one upstairs near the bedrooms and other in the living room downstairs. Adams told investigators that she woke up smelled smoke and grabbed her 3 children and ran downstairs out the front door to safety, she noted as she was leaving the apartment she saw the sofa on fire. Investigators discovered the remains of the heater near the sofa and it appears the heater was close enough to the sofa to catch it on fire, spreading throughout the room. Damage is estimated at $25 thousand. No injuries were reported. Engines 6, 15, 19, 22, truck 5, rescue 18 and Acting District Chief, Captain Kenny Tillman responded to the call. Portable and space heaters can be either electric or fueled by gas. - Space heaters need space! They should be given a three (3) foot clearance all the way around the heater. Everything that could burn should be kept clear of this area. - Plug electric portable space heaters directly into wall sockets, not into an extension cord and unplugged them when not in use. - Be sure not to overload electrical circuits. - Turn portable heaters off and unplug them before leaving home or when going to bed. - Never leave children or pets unattended with space heaters. - Be sure everyone understands that drying clothes or placing combustibles over heaters is a fire hazard. - Check electric space heater each season for fraying or splitting wires and overheating. - Avoid using electric space heaters in bathrooms, other areas where they may come in contact with water. ###