HENRICO COUNTY, Va.-- As the overnight temperatures cool down, the risk of a house fire goes up, according to Henrico Fire Battalion Chief Doug Reynolds
“We tend to see more fires when the heating season comes into play, and that's just because you got these added devices that produce heat, and they're operating within your house,” said Reynolds. “That's everything from electric space heaters, kerosene heaters, or even your regular furnace.”
This week is National Fire Prevention Week, and Reynolds notes that this is a good time to clean your furnace and get your chimney inspected if you plan to use it to heat your home.
While a fire can happen any day of the year, Reynolds wants people to take steps this week to focus on fire safety.
This year’s theme is “Smoke Alarms: Let Them Work For You.”
Studies show you have two minutes after a fire starts to get out of your home, which is why Reynolds says smoke detectors are so important.
If you don’t have one, you can call Henrico Fire or any fire department in Central Virginia, and they will bring one to you and install it for free.
“There's no reason why anybody in the RVA area should not have one, but you would be amazed how many people don't,” Reynolds explained. “And the key here is to make sure you have a working smoke detector. Make sure you push that button, test it, and make sure it's working.”
There are other things you can do at home this week to help keep your family safe: make sure you have a home escape plan and practice it, place escape ladders in second-story bedrooms, purchase a fire extinguisher, and make sure everyone in the house knows where it’s located.
The top five causes of fires in Henrico and across Central Virginia, according to Reynolds, are unattended stoves, followed by heating devices, open flames like candles, electrical fires, and smoking materials like cigarettes.
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