Check Whether It Is Safe to Use a Heater Inside a Tent
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Key Takeaway
Better not to use one if you can avoid it. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety calls charcoal heating in a sealed tent extremely dangerous and urges a sleeping bag or hot water bottle instead.
What has the government urged about heating a tent?
When the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the National Fire Agency issued a camping fire alert on April 24, 2024, they singled out heating inside tents. The Korea Consumer Agency urged the same in its February 2020 campground consumer safety alert.
| Agency | Request |
|---|---|
| Ministry of the Interior and Safety, National Fire Agency | Heating with charcoal and the like inside a sealed tent is extremely dangerous because of the risk of fire and carbon monoxide poisoning |
| Ministry of the Interior and Safety, National Fire Agency | Keep warm with a sleeping bag or a hot water bottle when sleeping |
| Ministry of the Interior and Safety, National Fire Agency | If you have no choice but to use a heater inside a tent, ventilate often and use a portable carbon monoxide alarm |
| Korea Consumer Agency | Use a sleeping bag or hand warmers rather than gas or electric heaters, which carry a high risk of suffocation or fire when sleeping in a tent |
What kinds of campground accidents are most common?
The Korea Consumer Agency analyzed 195 campground-related safety accidents reported to the Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CISS) from 2015 to 2019. In 2019, 51 were reported, 1.5 times the 34 in 2018.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Physical impact accidents such as slips, falls, and collisions | 93 cases (47.7%) |
| Fire, smoke, overheating, and gas accidents | 50 cases (25.6%) |
| Hazard symptoms while using heating or cooking equipment, such as heat burns and carbon monoxide poisoning | 60 cases (30.8%) |
| Children aged 9 or under, among 193 cases with known age | 110 cases (57.0%) |
One related case described was in December 2019 at a campground, where a person is presumed to have been poisoned while sleeping after burning charcoal in a tent. One person died and one was seriously injured.
When and why do camping fires happen?
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, there were 176 fires while camping over the three years from 2021 to 2023, most of them in April. In 53% of fires, the main cause was carelessness, such as leaving embers or flammable material close by unattended. Camping users average more than 5.4 million a year, and 5.84 million people went camping in 2022.
Take a look at the fire precautions in the same guidance as well.
- Use a fire pit when you barbecue or have a campfire, and put out the remaining embers thoroughly afterward.
- Unwind an extension cord all the way before using it.
- Do not plug many electrical products into one outlet, and keep plugs and outlets from touching water.
- On a portable gas stove, use a grill plate and pot smaller than the support to prevent overheating.
What should you check before choosing gear?
Using the guidance above as the standard, here is what to check before buying.
- Check that you have a way to keep warm for sleeping that uses no fire, such as a sleeping bag, hot water bottle, or hand warmers.
- Bring a portable carbon monoxide alarm too.
- For charcoal, gas, and electric heaters, check in the product manual whether use in an enclosed space such as a tent is allowed.
- For electrical products, decide the extension cord length and the number of outlets you will use beforehand.
- If you go with children, look at the tent ropes and walking paths first.
Inside a tent, it fits the guidance better to prepare to keep warm with a sleeping bag or hot water bottle first rather than choosing a heater.
Product information
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is it fine to use charcoal in a tent if I ventilate?
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety called heating with charcoal and the like inside a sealed tent extremely dangerous. Its request for when you have no choice but to use a heater is frequent ventilation and a portable carbon monoxide alarm.
Is an electric heater okay?
The Korea Consumer Agency advises keeping warm with a sleeping bag or hand warmers rather than gas or electric heaters, which carry a high risk of suffocation or fire when sleeping in a tent.
What else should I watch for when going with kids?
Of the campground accidents the Korea Consumer Agency analyzed, among 193 cases where age was known, children aged 9 or under were the largest group at 110 (57.0%), and 68 of those (61.8%) were trips or collisions. Watch that they do not trip over the ropes that hold the tent down.
Sources & Verification Date
- "Heating with charcoal inside a tent is extremely dangerous": beware of camping fires (Ministry of the Interior and Safety and National Fire Agency, Policy Briefing 2024-04-24) · Verified
- [Consumer safety alert] 30.8% of campground safety accidents are burns and poisoning (Korea Consumer Agency, 2020-02-24) · Verified
All materials have been verified from official announcements and may have changed since verification.