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Michigan State Police Offering Safety Tips When Using Space Heaters This Winter

(CBS Detroit) -- Michigan State Police is urging residents to be careful with using space heaters as temperatures drop this winter.

In a tweet on Tuesday, MSP offered tips on space heater safety:

  • Keep them at least three feet from any combustible surface or material.
  • Don't let children near space heaters.
  • Never use them when you are asleep.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, heating is the second leading cause of house fires and injuries and the third leading cause of home fire deaths.

Between 2014 and 2018, local fire departments responded to an average 48,530 fires per year associated with heating equipment, resulting in 500 deaths, 1,350 injuries and $1.1 billion in direct property damage.

MSP advise resident to buy heaters with UL safety listing and check to make sure it has a thermostat control mechanism and safety switch.

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