If your home has one or more fireplaces, special precautions can help to keep home fires burning safely:

• Never burn charcoal or use a hibachi in your fireplace. Both produce deadly carbon monoxide.
  
• Protect against sparks by enclosing a fireplace's opening with glass doors or a sturdy screen.
  
• Never close the flue while a fire is still smoldering. Carbon monoxide could build up.
  
• Never use gasoline, kerosene or lighter fluid to start a fire. Burn only dry, seasoned hardwood. For extra safety, light fires with long-stemmed matches.
  
• Have your fireplace and chimney inspected annually. They should be properly vented and free of blockages. Have cleaned as needed.
  
• Protect the top of your chimney with a guard that keeps out birds and small animals and keeps in sparks that could ignite your roof.
  
• Keep flammables such as newspapers, magazines, rugs and carpeting well away from the fireplace.
  
• Remove holiday decorations from the fireplace and mantle before building a fire to avoid having the decorations ignite.
  
• Teach children to stay back from the fireplace.
  
• Never leave a fire unattended.
  
• Keep a fire extinguisher handy.

Your Fire Department is the authority for outdoor burning, but Puget Sound Clean Air (PSCA) Agency is your indoor burning authority. The following information is provided from your local PSCA:

"Natural gas and propane stoves and fireplaces are the cleanest source of cozy fires, and you can use them even during a burn ban. Check out Puget Sound Energy’s special rebates on several energy-saving options at www.pse.com.

If you do heat with wood, use manufactured logs instead of firewood for a cleaner burn. If you use cut wood, be sure it is very dry, use small pieces, and give the fire lots of air. Never damper down a wood stove; that creates excess smoke. To learn more about clean-burning techniques, visit www.burningclean.com.

And always remember to check burn ban status at www.pscleanair.org before you light a wood fire. If there is a burn ban in effect, PSCA will carry the message prominently on the home page. Or you can call (800) 595-4341 to hear a recorded message about burn ban status.

Call Fire Marshal John Westfall (425) 771-0213 to answer any questions about your heating systems.