January 28: a fire left going in a fireplace heavily damages of Chestnut Mountain home.
February 3: a mobile home in North Hall is destroyed by fire. The owner was heating it with a stove.
February 3: a space heater catches some drapes or a bed on fire in a Gainesville apartment, resulting in heavy damage.
February 5: a space heater catches a couch on fire, destroying a North Hall home.
When the temps turn cold, we turn up extra ways to stay warm. But cranking up the space heater or throwing another log on the fire has a flip side.
Hall County Fire Marshal Scott Cagle says from November to February, the number-one cause of house fires is one of those extra heat sources. "Those heaters need their space," he said, no pun intended. "At least three feet around the heater. That means on the front, the back and on each side, there needs to be nothing there, to give that heater room to breathe."
It's just a matter of common sense... when you leave the house, make sure the fireplace is cold and space heaters are turned off.
That'll help insure you have a home to come back to.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2007/2/95255