Prevention of Fires caused by heating:

• - Keep items that can burn away from your fireplace. Also, keep a glass or metal screen in front of your fireplace.
  - Keep matches and lighters stored in a locked cabinet.
  - Keep space heaters at least three feet away from things that can burn, for example, curtains or stacks of paper. When leaving a room or going to bed always turn off the heaters.

  - Once a year, have a service person inspect chimneys, fireplaces, wood and coal stoves and central furnaces. Have these items cleaned when necessary.

  According to the U.S. Fire Administration, the high cost of home heating fuels and utilities have caused many Americans to search for alternate sources of home heating. The use of wood burning stoves is growing and space heaters are selling rapidly, or coming out of storage. Fireplaces are burning wood and man made logs. All these methods of heating may be acceptable. They are however, a major contributing factor in residential fires. Many of these fires can be prevented. You can prevent the loss of life and property resulting from heating fires by being able to identify potential hazards and following the safety tips contained in the factsheet listed below.