The winter season brings cold temperatures and the only cure for cooler temps is the idea of curling up in front of a warm, cozy fire. Carbon County Sheriff Jeff Wood would like to remind the community about a few precautions to take to keep folks safe from the fireplace.

“Have an outside air source, so either crack a window or some of the new ones have their own venting that vents outside of your home. So, that’s one thing to be safe. Be certain that your damper or flue is open before starting a fire, so you don’t get smoke throughout your house make sure that the smoke is drawn up from the chimney,” said Wood. Maintenance is very important, always inspect the inside of the chimney for blockages, always clean out the ashes from the previous fire and test all smoke/carbon monoxide detectors.

By placing smaller pieces of dry, well-aged wood on a grate will burn faster and produce less smoke, the use of damp or green wood can contribute to heavy smoke which will cause buildup of soot inside the chimney.

Don’t forget that safety precautions should also be taken for the area surrounding the fireplace. Make sure that furniture or other flammable items are not placed too closely to cause harm to anyone. “Make sure that your kids know that is an area to stay away from and the glass, if you have a glass fireplace or wood stove on the front the glass is extremely hot,” stated Wood. The tools used for the fireplace need to be out of reach of young children and have a fire extinguisher near in case of an emergency.

Never leave a burning fireplace unattended, always extinguish the flame before leaving the house or going to bed. Do not dispose of the ash and coals immediately, allow time for them to cool.

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