Forty-nine accidents occurred between 2018 and 2022 due to heated (electric) pads

The Daegu Fire Department (DFD; director: Nam-gu Jeong) advised citizens to exercise caution when using heated mattress pads, as a spike in use due to cold weather is resulting in more house fires.

<Site of a fire caused by heated mattress bad>

According to the DFD, a total of 49 fires (annual avg.: 9.8) occurred in Daegu over the past five years due to misuse of heated mattress pads or blankets, resulting in nine casualties and KRW 129 million in property damages.

Eighty percent of mattress pad fires were caused by an electronic factor or negligence. The two most common causes were electronic (20 cases)—damage caused to the heat lines by the prolonged folding of the mattress/blanket to store it—and overheating (19 cases) due to prolonged use of a heated mattress pad on a latex mattress, which is vulnerable to heat.

Jeong-won Park, manager of DFD’s Site Response Division, said, “To prevent a heated mattress pad or blanket-caused fire, which occurs frequently in the winter, it is best to: not use one with a latex mattress, not store a mattress pad in a folded state, and turn off all heating devices before leaving the house.”