The Village of Oak Park | 123 Madison St.  Oak Park, IL 60302 | village@oak-park.us

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Fire Department offers winter fire protection tips

More home fires occur in winter than in any other season. Heating, winter storms and candles all contribute to an increased risk. The Oak Park Fire Department offers the following safety tips for residents to put a freeze on winter fires:

  • Keep anything that can burn at least three feet from any heat source like fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators or space heaters.
     
  • Plug only one heat-producing appliance like a space heater into an electrical outlet at a time.
     
  • Store cooled ashes from a fireplace or fire pit in a tightly covered metal container, and keep it outside at least 10 feet from your home and any nearby buildings.
     
  • Blow out lit candles when you leave the room or go to bed.

Residents also are urged to install carbon monoxide alarms and test them at least once a month. Often called the invisible killer, carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas created when fuels such as gasoline, wood, coal, propane and natural gas do not burn completely. Carbon monoxide incidents are more common during the winter months.

For more information on fire prevention, call 708.358.5600, email fire@oak-park.us or visit www.oak-park.us/fire.