SpringfieldNewsSun.com

Springfield, Ohio — The Thanksgiving holiday, chilly temperatures and trying economic times are cause for concern for local fire officials this season.

Residential fires on Thanksgiving Day result in more lives lost and more property damage than residential fires on any other day, said Assistant Chief Nick Heimlich of the Springfield Fire and Rescue Division.

As temperatures and incomes drop and heating fuel costs rise, people start looking for alternative forms of energy such as heat from fireplaces, space heaters and oil heaters, he said.

"It just increases risk across the board," said Heimlich.

Heimlich recommends the following precautions and tips to reduce the risk of fire in your home:

• Have your furnace and chimney inspected before use.

• Install a carbon monoxide detector in your home.

• Take care in lighting your fireplace fire and use woods that burn efficiently (greener woods do not).

• Treat space heaters as if they were open flames. Do not place any objects within several feet of them.

• Do not use extension cords to power space heaters.

• Always re-fill oil heaters outside the home.

• Make sure small generators are in well-ventilated areas.

A news release from the Ohio Department of Commerce offers the following tips to people cooking Thanksgiving dinner:

• Turn off the stove when you leave the kitchen.

• Never leave the kitchen while food is frying, grilling, broiling or boiling.

• Avoid wearing baggy or loose-fitting clothing and keep oven mitts and towels away from the stovetop.

For more fire safety tips, go to www.usfa.dhs.gov.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0360 or vlough@coxohio.com.