Protect what matters most with simple steps to improve safety at home. This page provides practical guidance on fire prevention, home escape planning, carbon monoxide awareness, and safe heating and cooking practices for every household.
Clothes dryer fires can occur when lint builds up in the dryer or in the exhaust duct. Lint can block the flow of air, cause excessive heat build-up, and result in a fire.
Here are some tips to help prevent dryer fires:
- Never leave your house with the dryer still running; if a fire starts you won’t be there to take corrective action.
- Lint build-up is the leading cause of dryer fires. Lint accumulation, in the dryer and dryer vent, reduces airflow which creates a highly combustible source. Remove lint from the filter before or after each use.
- Clean behind the dryer, where lint can build up.
- Restricted dryer vents cause reduced air flow and high temperatures in the dryer. Look for lint accumulation and any other blockages and have them fixed.
- Use a sheet-metal or non combustible code compliant dryer vent. If a fire starts in a plastic exhaust pipe it can melt away quickly, increasing the chances that fire will spread.
- Tidy up: Do not pile up laundry or other items on top of the dryer or near the sides, the fewer combustible materials around the dryer, the better.
- Take special care when drying clothes that have been soiled with chemicals such as , cooking oils, cleaning agents, or finishing oils and stains. To prevent clothes from igniting after drying, do not leave the dried clothes in the dryer or piled in a laundry basket.
- Good fire safety planning includes knowing two ways out of your home.
- In a winter storm, your exits may become blocked by snow or fallen trees, or be frozen shut by ice. Try your exits to make sure they are accessible.
- Inform everyone in your home about the fire safety rules they must follow.
- Conduct regular safety checks of each room and keep a watchful eye on children and older adults.
- Make sure everyone knows the fire escape plan.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless and colourless gas produced when fuel is burned. CO is poisonous. Because you can’t smell it, you can be poisoned before you have time to get to safety. CO poisoning can cause death in as little as one to three minutes. Even when it’s not fatal, acute and long-term exposure to CO can cause serious health problems.
CO is produced by:
- Vehicles
- Small engines
- Stoves
- Fireplaces
- Gas ranges
- BBQs
- Portable generators
- Furnaces
To prevent CO poisoning:
- Follow the manufacturers’ instructions on all fuel-burning appliances
- Never use a portable generator, BBQ, camp stove or other similar device indoors, including inside a garage or other enclosed or partially enclosed areas
- Only operate portable generators outdoors and at a location where the exhaust cannot enter your home or other buildings through doors or windows
- Use a CO detector at home, including if you have a home with natural gas forced air heating
More Information
FortisBCas information on preventing carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning and CO alarms.
Health Canada produces a tip sheet on carbon monoxide and how to prevent poisoning.
- Think carefully before you bring a fuel-burning appliance into your home. Any device that burns fuel requires oxygen to provide complete combustion and ventilation to remove the products of combustion. Any device fueled by natural gas, propane, heating oil, kerosene, coal, charcoal, gasoline or wood produces carbon monoxide.
- Use only portable space heaters that have been designed for indoor, residential use.
- Before using a portable heater, review the manufacturer’s recommendations for usage and follow the instructions carefully. Only use the fuel for which the appliance was designed.
- When using the heater, provide adequate ventilation by opening a window slightly.
- Before refueling, turn off the heater, wait for it to cool and take the heater outside to refill.
- Never use propane or charcoal barbecues indoors. They are designed for outdoor use only. It is preferable to eat a cold meal than die from carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Keep all heaters at least 1m (3 ft) away from combustible materials, including drapes, carpeting, and furniture.
- Turn portable space heaters off when you are not in the room and before you go to bed.
- If you are using a wood stove, be careful with the ashes. Always empty ashes into a covered metal container and store them outside away from combustibles.
- If you have not used your fireplace or woodstove for a long time, have it checked by a professional technician before using it. Your chimney may be blocked or damaged, which could cause a fire or a build-up of carbon monoxide inside the home.
- Generators should not be brought inside the home for any reason.
- Before going to bed, do a quick check of every room to make sure candles are out and heaters are off. Wear several layers of clothing to preserve body heat.