Space Heaters Selling Briskly

Imagine dealing with this cold weather without a heater?
Some people have found their central heating systems have gone out and are having to buy portable heaters.
The good news is that companies are making those devices with more safety features.
Ida Bernard said, "My central heat just went out completely."
That's why she went to a Lowe's Home Improvement Store to find a space heater.
And she wasn't alone.
James Riley was buying a space heater, too.
He said, "This is a space heater for one of my church members. Her heater went out, she wanted one, so, we decided to get one."
When asked if she had ever bought a space heater before, Betty Hartley said, "No. Its just gotten this cold and my floor furnace went out, so I'm here."
But space heaters can be dangerous if you don't use them right.
Steve Huffman with the Mobile Fire Department said, "Typically, we place it (a space heater) too close to beds, too close to curtains, or other combustibles in the house, and it catches those items on fire."
Especially if they're knocked over.
But new space heaters are being made that are safer.
Dale Pettis, a manager at Lowe's, said, "If they happen to get knocked over, they automatically shut off. They don't continue to run. That's a new feature the government put in them."
Pettis said his store has almost sold out of space heaters.
Fireplaces are also popular, but those can be dangerous, too.
Fire officials said they had several fireplace fires last year because, according to Huffman, "They haven't been taken care over the years. They haven't been cleaned in some cases. (With) some of them, bricks were missing: just poor maintenance on them."
With space heaters, keep a three foot clearance around them, don't put clothes over them, and turn them off before you go to sleep so you won't kick covers over the heaters.