Show beating lea ting plants nerease nc rease number f fires in winter fires increase in the winter ast year the three winter monis of january february and larch burned up 30 million dol irs worth more of property ian in the summer months of 01 une line july and august na onal board of fire under figures also show that fire losses last fall increased from 45 million in september to 66 millions in december an in increase of 0 21 million in the last ten years the christmas month of december has been the month with the i greatest fu elosser closely behind were march january febuary february r and april december losses from 1941 to 1950 were as compared to se september the lowest month with one of the reasons for the increase of fire losses in the water season is careless handling of heating facilities faulty chimneys stoves furnaces and other heating devices are the second largest cause of fires resulting in in nearly 20 per cent of all fires according to the national board the 1958 per cent of fires started by faulty heating is broken d down own as follows stoves furnaces boilers and their p pipes ipes N 3 overheated and defect defective e chimneys flues etc hot ashes coals and open fires etc sparks on roofs engineers of the national board state that forcing a furnace or heater which is giving insufficient heat is a dangerous habit other safety tips offered by national board engineer are 1 never try to speed up a fire by using gasoline or ker I 1 asene 2 keep a metal screen in front of your fireplace 3 rubbish anywhere in your house is a fire hazard get rid of it 4 be careful with hot ashes ashe S use a metal container with a cover on it do not take them outside on a windy day never put them in a wooden or cardboard container 5 keep wood coal and flammable liquids away from furnace keep furnace room clean of trash A portable heater is a portable fire the national board points out and urges extra care with these devices which have caused many disastrous blazes in selecting new heaters buyers should insist on evidence that the heater is listed by underwriters laboratories inc which means the device has been tested for safety users should follow the manufacturers directions carefully and use only those fuels for which the heaters was designed the heater should be placed on a level floor to reduce the danger of tipping and should not be located near curtains furniture or other combustibles it is dangerous to carry the heater when it is lighted and it should never be filled when lighted it should be refilled outdoors |