Avoid disaster, never plug this into a power strip in WA.

Tis the season to think about avoiding fire danger. A house fire at any time of year is tragic, but a house fire in the middle of winter is devastatingly tragic. One of the major causes of house fires in the winter season is overloading electrical outlets. A lot of times this happens when you plug a power strip into an outlet and then plug multiple devices into that power strip that draw a lot of current. 

The worst possible scenario 

Plugging a space heater into a power strip and then into an outlet. Just don't do it. 

According to msn.com,
‘There’s also another thing to watch out for. Something that has been warned about since 2017 but is still just as important today. “You should never plug a heater into a power strip,” the Umatilla County Fire District #1 in Hermiston, Oregon, warned on Facebook, back in 2017’ 

Power strips are not designed to handle that kind of current flow. Power strips are more than safe for low current flow, like plugging in wall warts to power devices like laptops and cell phones. Space heaters draw lots of current for extended Periods of time and your power strip is just not designed to handle that kind of load. Even if your power strip has a circuit breaker, don't plug a space heater into a power strip, ever. 

You should also try to avoid plugging space heaters into extension cords. Most people, when using a space heater, don't really check on it that often. They plug it in and then they forget about it not realizing that there could be issues. Another thing to think about is where you place your space heater, a minimum of three feet of distance from anything. You don't want it to be close to the walls; you don't want it to be close to any cardboard boxes or, God forbid, your Christmas tree.  

A well-designed space heater has lots of safety features, but if you don't have it plugged into the wall properly, you're risking your home and your life. 

A few statistics. 

Nationally from 2009 to 2013, there were almost 56,000 house fires in the US caused by heating devices. Nearly half of those fires occurred during the winter season. (December, January, February) Space heaters were responsible for two out of five fires During that time. 

5 things to remember when using a space heater. 

Keep a three-foot safety zone around the heater. 

Plug your heater directly into the wall outlet. 

Install smoke alarms where you live. 

Place your heater on a flat level surface (Never on furniture, cabinets or carpet) 

Turn your space heater off and unplug it when you're not in the room or going to bed. 

Stay safe this winter season. Never plug a space heater into a power strip. 

Firefighters want everyone to know what you should never plug into a power strip