Burn doctors treat more patients during cold-weather months, urge caution with home heating
Thursday, November 8, 2012 - 23:00
in Health & Medicine
With temperatures falling into the 30s this week, people across the mid-state in the U.S. will be turning up the heat to stay warm. But, as the temperature drops, the number of patients treated typically increases due to unsafe heating methods that result in injury. Heating fires account for 36 percent of all residential home fires every year and are the second leading cause of all residential fires following cooking, according to the U.S. Fire Administration. It is estimated that more than 50,000 heating fires occur in the United States each year and result in 150 deaths, 575 injuries and $326 million in property loss.