SARASOTA – Frigid air and low temperatures are expected on the Suncoast this weekend and while there are plenty of ways to keep warm, you should do so without creating a fire hazard.
“Christmas day is going to be in the 50s and we haven’t actually had a high in the 50s on Christmas day since the 90’s,” said SNN Meteorologist, Leslie London.
With cooler temperatures moving in, Suncoast residents will feel temperatures as low as 30 degrees
“The biggest concern is for early Saturday morning, so late Friday night from 1AM to 10AM we have a wind chill advisory in place and that is because we’ll be dropping in the low 30s for our lows and it’ll feel like 20s when you add it to the additional wind pushing in,” said London.
While the chilly weather might make you stay indoors, the Sarasota County Fire Department recommends taking extra precautions when using space heaters, as they account for more than 1700 fires annually throughout the U.S.
“Remember they do get very hot, they have a heat coil in them that if they are placed on the floor next to any materials that can easily ignite such as curtains or clothing so we want to be aware to keep some space away from the space heaters,” said Sarasota County Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief, Michael Hartley.
And if you’re spending time outside and start a fire pit, make sure it is supervised at all times. Burning clean wood, not any yard waste
“We want to be able to have some water nearby, a nice garden hose is necessary in order to extinguish a fire quickly, if we’re outside playing with family and doing something recreational and somebody trip and get to the fire so try to stay away from the area of the fire, keeping children and pets from any fire in a well contained area that is able to be extinguished quickly,” said Chief Hartley.
And if you plan to use a fire place or chimney make sure it has been cleaned and inspected annually.
A cold weather shelter will open in North Port at 100 Church, 14525 Tamiami Trail (near Blue Tequila restaurant). It will be available Friday, Dec. 23 through Sunday, Dec. 25, beginning at 5 p.m. each evening.
