With temperatures dipping to near freezing during the recent overnight hours, people are reminded to take safety steps as they heat their homes this winter. Ainsworth Fire Chief Waylon Schultz shares what people should do in regards to using space heaters, “Don’t put things around them, so make sure the area is clear around them so it can’t catch anything on fire that’s close to them. And then make sure they’re plugged directly into the wall. Don’t plug them into power strips. Power strips is one of the leading causes of space heater malfunctions or they start fires, so those are the two major things to watch out for.” 

Schultz also reminds people to test their smoke detectors regularly. 

According to the Iowa Fire Marshal Division, Iowa has had 26 fire fatalities so far this year with three of those having smoke detectors that were not working, and seven had no detectors present.