According to the National Fire Protection Assoc. (NFPA) heating equipment was the second leading cause of home fires and home fire deaths.
The heating equipment category includes central heating, fixed and portable space heaters and wood stoves. Of these, fixed space heaters (wall mounted or freestanding propane heaters) accounted for 17 of the fires and 28 of the civilian deaths.
Portable heaters (propane and electric) caused far fewer fires, only 8 of the total, but accounted for 46 of the total deaths resulting from heating equipment fires.
So how can this be with increasingly stringent space heater manufacturing safety standards?
The best answer to this question comes from Fire Chief Eric Chichester of the Parkersburg, WV, a state which had 6 space heater related deaths in October: “The problem isn t really with the space heater itself, but with misusing it and leaving it unattended.”
If misuse of the space heater and not the space heater itself is the cause of fires, which type of heater would be prone to misuse more frequently; an electric fireplace or space heater?
Although far fewer electric fireplaces are sold in North America than small space heaters, close tracking of the occurrences of space heater fires so far this season has yet to reveal an instance where an electric fireplace was a contributing factor.
This suggests that people are less likely to misuse an electric fireplace and therefore the electric fireplace is safer. But this begs the question; why are electric fireplaces misused less than ordinary space heaters?
The answer to this lies in the overall size and design of the electric fireplace. The placement of the electric firebox in the middle of a 4 foot wide unit creates a natural buffer zone on either side between it and draperies, furniture or bedding that might be in the room.
By keeping flammables away from the heater you will practically eliminate the number one cause of space heater fires.
An electric fireplace is also regarded as a beautiful piece of furniture which makes it less likely that bags of clothing, boxes, etc. would be piled in front of it – never mind blocking the heat source.
The perception that an electric fireplace, by virtue of its size, is more powerful than it really is probably tempts fewer people to plug it into an overloaded extension cord. Plugging an electric fireplace into its own wall socket all but eliminates another potential fire hazard.
Finally, the flame display, crackling fire sound effect, and humming of the blower serve as a constant reminder the fireplace is running and makes it less likely it would be left on when the house is unoccupied.
Rather than trying to pit the electric fireplace against the electric space heater, the real purpose of this article is to remind everyone that any space heater can be a safe space heater if you keep it at least 3’ away from combustibles, don’t use an extension cord, and remember to turn it off when you go to bed and leave the house.
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