Combustible materials shall not be stored within how many feet of a stove, furnace, or boiler?

• A. 5 feet
• B. 20 feet
• C. 10 feet
• D. 15 feet

Answer: (C)

Keeping combustibles away from heat sources is essential to prevent ignition. Stoves, furnaces, and boilers emit hot surfaces and radiant heat, so a safe clearance is needed. The required distance is ten feet. This spacing minimizes the chance that heat, sparks, or hot vapors from the equipment could ignite nearby materials and allows for safe access and ventilation around the appliance. Five feet would be too close to reliably prevent heat transfer, while fifteen or twenty feet are more conservative than the standard minimum used in many facilities.