Having a block heater is super useful in the winter, but are you using yours safely? 

“We want to inspect our extension cords and the cords coming out of our vehicle,” Acting Fire Chief Trent Lee said. “Make sure they're not frayed or damaged in any way.” 

Another thing to pay attention to is any excessive heat in the cord. 

Lee said in his time as a Fire Investigator, he has responded to many fires caused by faulty block heater cords or extension cords.  

“Every year there are so many vehicle fires caused by block heaters and we just see a lot of the time it's just from lack of maintenance of the cords replacing the cords as needed.” 

He added it's a good idea for everybody to pay attention to how they plug in, where they plug in, and make sure that there's no visible damage on their cords.