DECATUR — As the weather grows colder more people will be lighting their fireplaces and wood stoves, and Decatur fire chief David Flynt would like to remind residents to clean out their chimneys and check the batteries in their smoke alarms.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2008 fire departments in the United States responded to 66,100 home structure fires that involved heating equipment. These fires caused 480 deaths, 1,660 injuries and $1.1 billion in property damage.

The leading cause of home heating fires in 2004-2008 - accounting for about 25 percent of the fires - was failure to clean creosote from chimneys, according to the NFPA.

“Chimney fires are very dangerous and are a major cause of wood-burning related house fires. The more you do to keep your chimney in good working condition, the safer and more efficient your wood burning operation will be,” states an article published by the University of Missouri Columbia extension office.

Smoke alarms are also vital to fire safety no matter how a home is heated, according to Flynt. Smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a reported fire in half, according to the NFPA. In 2003-2006roughly two-thirds of home fire deaths occurred in homes without smoke alarms - either no smoke alarms were present in the home or smoke alarms were present but did not sound.

The Decatur Fire Department provides smoke alarms and replacement batteries to Decatur residents. Smoke alarms and batteries can be picked up at city hall.

News, Pages 16 on 11/17/2010