Fire & Rescue
Fire department wants space heaters to be used safely
Our colder-than-normal weather for much of this fall may have led you to use a space heater in your home.
The La Crosse Fire Department wants you to be careful how you use that machine.
Assistant fire chief Craig Snyder says space heaters are designed to be plugged directly into wall outlets, and not to extension cords.
Snyder says an extension cord is good for low power, short-term use, for devices such as leaf-blowers.
A recent national study blamed space heaters for more than 40 per cent of U.S. house fires that were started by heating systems.
Snyder also warns against cutting off the end of an extension cord to replace a worn-out cord on a home appliance.
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