With the cooler temperatures here, many on the Grand Strand and Pee Dee are turning on their heat, and that means more risk for fire.
Myrtle Beach Fire officials expect as it gets cooler, the number of heat related fire calls will grow.
"More and more people are going to start using portable heat. And it's the placement of the heater, but a lot of times, it's common sense," Lt. Joe Murrell, Myrtle Beach Fire Department Inspector said.
Consumer Reports says portable space heaters cause about 21,650 home fires each year.
Lt. Murrell says a lot of advancement has been made safety wise in the past few years with space heaters.
"Where you have heaters, where you can detach thermostats and place across the room, and heaters that will detect heat coming back upon the heater and actually shut down, they'll have automatic shut down," he said.
He adds that space heaters have labels for what size room they're for, and that is the most important thing to look for. Something too big in a small space is at risk for catching on fire. While something too small can overheat and short out, possibly causing an electrical fire.
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