ERIE, Pa., Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Lighting a fireplace or using a wood stove to augment expensive U.S. heating fuel this winter requires some safety precautions to avoid a fire.
"Many of these home heating fires can be easily prevented with proper installation, maintenance and a little common sense," says Terry McConnell of Erie Insurance Group. "Among the main causes are -- lack of regular cleaning leading to creosote build-up in chimneys and improper installation when wood burning stoves are placed too close to walls or other combustibles."
Two out of three reported home heating fires and associated deaths and injuries involved portable and fixed space heaters and related equipment, such as fireplaces, chimneys and chimney connectors, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
The NFPA recommends having all chimneys cleaned; never lighting or rekindling a fire with kerosene, gasoline, or charcoal lighter fluid; using only seasoned wood; never leaving a fireplace or wood burning stove unattended; and having smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors on each level of the home and outside sleeping areas.
