Our beautiful Methow winters bring with them the necessity of heating to make our homes habitable through this frigid season. Unfortunately, there are many ways for our heat sources to turn against us and cause house fires, whether it’s the classic chimney fire, malfunctioning thermostat, overloaded wiring or any of a number of other possibilities.

These structure fires are an all hands on deck situation for Okanogan County Fire District 6, usually with volunteer firefighters from every corner of the valley requested to respond. It takes dozens of trained responders about 5 to 8 hours to fight a fully involved structure fire, overhaul the structure and debris to make sure it’s completely out, and then another couple hours to cleanup gear and equipment afterwards so all is ready for the next call.

In February 2014, there were three different winter house fires in as many consecutive days. By the third fire, volunteers were nearing total exhaustion. In those few days with no break and little sleep, volunteers had suddenly become full-time fire fighters, with the added strain of the cold and snow. Many would then go home to work their actual full-time jobs in between calls. Rest assured, everyone rallied and managed to handle that last structure fire, but the breaking point was uncomfortably close.

As a long-time local volunteer firefighter, I remember the exhaustion I felt after those fires, and can confidently say that my firefighter colleagues and I would very much prefer to intercept house fires before they happen. It’s not just the enormous amount of resources used, or the strain put on volunteers - it’s really about the pain of seeing our neighbors in the community standing dazed and dejected out in the cold, after losing all their worldly possessions to a house fire in the middle of the night, or, God forbid, a fast-moving fire that tragically takes lives before help can get there.

Today, we’re talking about portable electric heaters. Modern units are quite safe if carefully used as directed, ensuring that flammable materials are at least three feet away, and no wiring is damaged or overloaded.

But outdated and damaged heaters can be dangerous. Heaters with known problems may be subject to a safety recall. I came across three such recalled heaters in the Methow Valley just this summer. These electric heaters are oil-filled radiator units made by Delonghi in the eighties (with some sold under Sears and Welbilt brand names). Among other things, these heaters have a defective switch that has caused a number of fires, and are responsible for many deaths and injuries, resulting in at least 85 lawsuits. The pictures in this article are from one of the local heaters that I found and inspected.

The Delonghi company made over 3.6 million of these potentially defective heaters, but only about 7% – or 250,000 – have been replaced under the recall. The remaining units can’t be too scarce, even now, if I just came across three of them in this rural valley in the space of a few months. I’d very much like to remove more of these old and potentially dangerous heaters from circulation should they be out there sitting in someone’s garage or closet waiting to be plugged in.

If you think you might have one of these recalled heaters, check the additional photos and details on www.heaterrecall.com to confirm it. If you do find that yours is part of the recall and potentially dangerous, stop using it immediately and call Delonghi’s support at 1-800-322-3848 and they will completely replace your heater with a new unit, at no cost to you.

For all types of heaters, it seems a good idea to annually remove covers – if possible – to do a basic check of wiring and other parts, and ensure that any potentially flammable material that has collected inside is removed. As you can see in the photos, this particular Delonghi heater has wiring that is melted and exposed around a junction that has overheated. Continuing to use this heater in this condition is extremely dangerous. But this damage cannot be seen from the outside, where it all looks quite normal. The heater even still works. The cover for this heater is held on by only one large screw, so it was quite simple to take the front cover off and visually inspect the wiring and other parts for signs of overheating.

Unfortunately, the primary way that the recalled Delonghi oil-filled heaters catch themselves on fire is an internal failure in the power switch, and you just can’t see it. So the affected heaters need to be removed from use and replaced regardless of how they appear externally. A U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) memo about the Delonghi heaters design and construction defects stated that “the risk of ignition from these defects [rises] with increased age and use of the heaters.”

All three affected heaters that surfaced in the Methow Valley earlier this year have been permanently removed from use, and will pose no further threat to our community. If your defective Delonghi heater is replaced, please ensure that the old one has the power cord cut, and is properly recycled or destroyed.

Delonghi heater recall information site

How to Further Prevent Home Fires With Electric Space Heaters

• Use a space heater that’s been tested to the latest safety standards and has been certified by a nationally recognized testing laboratory, such as Underwriters’ Laboratories (UL). Typically, these heaters have the most up-to-date safety features.

• Always follow the manufacturer’s directions for proper use.

• Place the heater on a level, hard, nonflammable surface, such as a ceramic tile floor – never on a carpet that can catch fire.

• Keep the heater at least three feet away from bedding, drapes, furniture, and other flammable materials.

• Keep children and pets away from space heaters.

• Turn the heater off if you leave the area or go to bed.

• Never plug a space heater into a power strip or extension cord – it can cause an overload and produce sufficient heat that can ignite a fire. Always plug the cord directly into an outlet.