With winter and cold temperatures now here, it’s time to turn up the heat. In today's Safe Family report, we have some simple tips to prevent home heating fire hazards.

As we've seen this week, house fires are a terrible reality. In most cases, fire officials say they could have been prevented.

According to the consumer product safety commission, portable space heaters are a major cause of death when it comes to home heating related fires. Experts say to place the heaters at least three feet away from anything that could catch fire and never leave them alone unattended.

"Portable heaters, gas heaters, even poorly maintained heating systems all can be dangerous parts of a home," says Howard Frumkin, CDC / National Center for Environmental Health.

Experts also recommend you have your chimney inspected by a professional before the beginning of every heating season.

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