It’s a situation that keeps area firefighters busy. This year alone there've been 110 house fires in Dothan.
Since temperatures have started dropping, there have been 17.
It is during these cold days and nights that people look for any means to stay warm in spite of how safe it is.
Dothan Fire Department Battalion Chief Eddie Munn says, "Things start to break down, we need to have maintenance checks on all our equipment in our home that we're going to heat with and we need to make sure we go to certain safety procedures." Make Sure you have smoke detectors that work
Here is a list of those safety procedures:
Use a flashlight instead of candles if electrical power is knocked out
Plug electric space heaters directly into your wall outlet. Do Not Use them With an Electrical Cord
Before using a fireplace, make sure the chimney flue is open so carbon monoxide gas can escape
If your natural gas is shut off or the pilot light needs to be re-lit, contact your local gas company. Do Not Attempt to Do it yourself
Water live trees daily
Don't let tree lights touch needles or curtains
Turn out lights and snuff candles before going to bed or leaving the house
Keep candles out of reach of children and pets and use sturdy candleholders
Have an operable fire extinguisher readily available