Faultyheater ledtoMallow housefire

MALLOW FIRE CHIEF’S WARNING ABOUT ‘DANGEROUS’ UNITS

THE public have been warned about the dangers of using old paraffin heaters in their homes after one of the units was blamed for a serious fire at a house in north Cork last week.

Three units of the fire brigade from Mallow, one from Kanturk and a water tanker from the city were tasked to tackle the blaze at a house in Ballyclough last Friday morning.

It is understood the fire was started after one of the occupants attempted to light one of the paraffin heaters in the bedroom of the house.

While no-one was injured in the blaze, which caused extensive damage to the house, Mallow station officer Tony Douglas said the incident could easily have had tragic results.

“This incident goes to show just how dangerous these old-fashioned paraffin fuelled heaters can be,” said Mr Douglas.

He said that many of these units were an incident waiting to happen.

“The most obvious danger from these heaters is the highly flammable nature of the paraffin when it is exposed to a naked flame. It can often be the case that these units are very old and poorly maintained, which means there is the potential for them to explode when lit,” said Mr Douglas. “If one of these lamps falls over when lit the consequences can be devastating.”

He said another key danger, particularly to children, the elderly and those with conditions such as asthma, was the toxic fumes given out by burning paraffin.

“These contain high levels of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide which can cause headaches, breathing difficulties and in extreme cases result in carbon monoxide poisoning,” said Mr Douglas.

He maintained that of all the portable heating systems out there, the paraffin fuelled units are by “far the most dangerous”.

“My advice to people would be to replace them. However, if people are going to use them they should adhere to the manufacturers instructions, ensure the units are well-maintained and install carbon monoxide alarms in their homes,” he said.