Minnesota winters are famous for being cold, because of this, most of us try to keep our homes as warm as possible to combat the chill we feel whenever we step outside of our homes. Unfortunately if you’re trying to be a little more energy conscious and only heat individual rooms rather than the whole house, you’re more likely the be involved in an accident involving space heaters or fireplaces.

The following infographic illustrates the dangers of using alternative heating sources such as electrical heaters and wood stoves during the cold winter months, and goes on to explain how to prevent home fires by using alternative heating sources safely and following recommendations for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms.

Some of the tips in the infographic include;

• Hire a certified professional to install, clean, inspect, and service your heating equipment and chimneys annually.
• Never use extension cords to power space heaters.
• Keep children and pets from space heaters and fire places.
• never use the oven to heat your home.
• place a glass or metal screen in front of the fireplace.
• Turn off portable space heaters when leaving the room or going to sleep.
• Keep all flammable materials at least three feet away from heating sources.
• Use only the fuel recommended by the heater manufacturer.
• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms, and outside sleeping areas and place a carbon monoxide alarm in a central location outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home.