Heat your home safely

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) - As the temperature drops outside, we all look for the best and cheapest ways to heat up indoors.

The heat generated from running woodstoves and fireplaces can really dry things out inside your home; that can be dangerous because if something does catch on fire, it will burn even faster.

“We actually left it on overnight and came out in the morning and the mantle place is really hot. Not smoking or anything but much hotter than it should be,” said Steven Kravetz of Holyoke.

But not taking heating seriously could be a deadly mistake. Firefighters say heating safety starts with maintenance: like having your chimney professionally cleaned every year, and not underestimating the danger ashes pose.

“When you get the ashes out of your wood stoves or pellet stoves always put them in a metal container with a cover on it, safely away from your house and garage,” said Holyoke Fire Lt. Thomas Paquin.

Use a fireplace screen to prevent flying sparks and embers from falling onto the floor. A single live ember can continue to smolder without your knowing. Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms every month, and change the batteries when you change your clocks. One Holyoke man told 22news he's been heating with stoves for 45 years, and he's still just as careful year after year.

“I have a smoke detector in the room where the fire takes place and one out in the hallway and one in the upstairs halls,” said William Cain of Holyoke.

Remember space heaters need space. Keep a 3-foot ring of safety around a space heater. They don't cause a lot of fires, but if they do-- it's usually deadly.