When properly used, kerosene heaters are very safe. If this was being used in a “downstairs/basement bedroom”, it wasn’t being used properly. Most probably, it was placed too close to something flammable, or a blanket got kicked atop it during the night. The fact that the nephew “was having problems with the heater” has little to do with a fire starting. There are only two things that cause problems: an old or improperly trimmed wick, or the igniter. These heaters have been criticized too many times as being unsafe. It’s the operators that are unsafe.
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When properly used, kerosene heaters are very safe. If this was being used in a “downstairs/basement bedroom”, it wasn’t being used properly. Most probably, it was placed too close to something flammable, or a blanket got kicked atop it during the night. The fact that the nephew “was having problems with the heater” has little to do with a fire starting. There are only two things that cause problems: an old or improperly trimmed wick, or the igniter. These heaters have been criticized too many times as being unsafe. It’s the operators that are unsafe.