WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015
ATLANTA, GEAORGIA (AP)
Georgia's insurance commissioner is offering consumers
heating safety tips as cold weather lingers in the region.
Commissioner Ralph Hudgens says heating equipment is the
leading cause of residential fires in Georgia. Hudgens says consumers should
keep heaters and other equipment away from curtains, bedding and other combustibles.
Hudgens says heaters and fuel-burning appliances should also
have sufficient ventilation to avoid the risk of fire and carbon monoxide
exposure. He says anyone using a kerosene heater should make sure it has an
automatic shut off switch if it tips over and use K1 kerosene, not gasoline —
which can cause an explosion.
Hudgens says consumers should also install smoke alarms and
rehearse family escape plans in case of fires. The commissioner says fires have
killed 25 Georgians so far this year.