Cranking up the heater? Be safe.

MOBILE, Ala. - With temperatures dipping, many people might want to crank up their heaters. But first, there are some things to keep in mind.

The second leading cause of house fires and fire-related deaths in the United States is heating equipment.

Steve Huffman, with Mobile Fire-Rescue, said there are more fires and fire-related fatalities in the Southeast than anywhere else in the country; and many of them are started by space heaters.

"The problem with them is that they are portable, which means we usually place them too close to the bed or to curtains or other things that can catch on fire. We've had some fatalities because of the heater being placed too close to the bed. During the night, they kicked the bedding off on top of the heater, it caught on fire," said Huffman.

He said there were also a lot of fires last winter that started in fireplaces.

"The fireplace has not been properly maintained, hasn't been checked on a regular basis. Because of the overheating in these fireplaces causes it to crack and then that heat escapes from the flu itself and it can catch the walls on fire. We had several of those last year," said Huffman.

During summer months, heaters sit dormant and may collect dust, so it's a good idea to clean the unit before turning it on.

"Change the filter. It's really best to turn it on during the day and let it run rather than turn it on and go straight to bed because you don't know if that dust is going to burn off or if it will be okay or not. So turn it on and let it run for a while," said Huffman.

Huffman said all home fires can be prevented if heating equipment is properly used and maintained.

Most common ways fires are started in the home:

Placing things that can burn too close to portable and fixed space heaters.
Failure to clean chimneys and connectors.
Improper design and installation.
Fueling errors involving liquid or gas fueled heaters.
Leaving auxiliary heating equipment unattended.

How to prevent fires:
Do not use flammable liquids to start or accelerate any fire.
Keep glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace opening.
Before going to sleep, be sure your fireplace fire is out. NEVER close your damper with hot ashes in the fireplace.
Follow instruction when using synthetic logs.
Space heaters need to be given at least a three foot clearance all the way around the heater.
Avoid using extension cords when using electric space heaters but if you must use a proper size and unplug when not in use.
Turn portable heaters off and unplug them before leaving home or when going to bed.
Never use ovens as a means to heat the home.
Install Smoke Alarms and Carbon Monoxide Detectors if you have gas fueled appliances