If you’re using fireplaces and portable heaters to help keep your home warm during these colder months, be aware of potential fire hazards.

Ainsworth Fire Chief Waylon Schultz says those supplemental means of heat can be dangerous if not used properly, “Anytime in the winter people use space heaters and things like that, be sure to follow the directions labeled on the units and plug them into the right sized circuits. And then also people not having the chimneys of their fireplaces or wood stoves not cleaned out properly. They can fill up with soot and (smoke) backs up into the house.”

With the increased popularity of electric fireplaces, Schultz says to approach their use like a portable heater and read the instructions thoroughly first. The National Fire Protection Association states that two of every five home heating equipment fires involve a space heater.