The Umatilla County Fire District in Oregon is warning people not to plug space heaters into power strips, as the power strips are not designed to handle the high current flow.
In a photograph shared by the Oregon fire department on Facebook, it shows a charred and melted power strip.
"These units are not designed to handle the high current flow needed for a space heater and can overheat or even catch fire due to the added energy flow," Umatilla County Fire said on its Facebook page. "It is best to have all heating equipment plugged directly into an outlet."
The department is also warning citizens not to overload outlets by plugging in multiple extension cords together. The department said extension cord overuse "is a big cause of fires we have."
On Monday, a space heater was the cause of a fire in Toledo, Ohio, WTOL-TV reported.
The National Fire Protection Association estimates from 2009-13, space heaters were responsible for nearly 400 deaths from 22,000 fires.
