CDD issues urgent warning about use of heaters after Karak gas leak tragedy

AMMAN — A gas leak incident that took the lives of an entire family of six in Karak on Saturday prompted the Civil Defense Department (CDD) to renew their awareness campaign regarding winter heating, which has been tied to 20 incidents so far this season.

A man, a woman and their four children died from suffocation due to a gas leak from their house’s fireplace. The incident is one of more than a dozen reported since the beginning of the winter season.

An earlier accident in which a four-year-old died and another in which two brothers suffocated in their sleep have been headlining despite the annual awareness campaigns launched by the CDD.

Full-on fires or suffocation are both caused by “ignorance or incorrect use of heaters, especially by keeping them on before going to sleep”, according to a CDD statement made available to The Jordan Times.

In 2019, 29 people died from suffocation or combustion during the winter season.

This year, with the winter season still not over, the number has the potential to overtake last year’s. Public Security Department Spokesperson Raed Amro urged citizens in a statement to adhere to public safety instructions and guidelines when using fireplaces and heaters.

“Due to the increase in the number of accidents in the past days, despite the instructions and awareness campaigns we have implemented on all media outlets, I am urging citizens once more to refrain from carelessness,” he added.

“Preventive measures by periodic maintenance of heaters, regular and proper ventilation of the home and switching off heaters while refueling them are the instructions we give out every year,” Amro said.

He also called on citizens to stop using heaters to cook or heat water, a common practise in Jordan but one that “exposes them and those around them to the risk of burns”.

The CDD published a number of other directives in their campaign, including instructions to monitor children when they are near a source of heating and prohibiting them from playing around it.

“Using a heater while bathing often leads to suffocation. Drying clothes on them can lead to fires. Be careful,” they warned in their campaign’s leaflet, which has been distributed as large signs around Amman and Kingdom's governorates.