• Recent house fire located on Shawnee Trail in Okemos

MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - It's been a busy three weeks for the Meridian Township Fire Department. Over that span of time there have been three house fires (one was a barn) and a fourth fire that was deemed a structural fire.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, half of home heating fires are reported in the months of December, January, and February.

A multitude of factors can cause fires or create a very fire friendly environment. One not commonly known cause of a recent fire was the improper disposal of the ashes from a fireplace. So while the homeowner did the right thing keeping their fireplace cleaned, where you put those old ashes is just as important as getting them out.

"The only way I would recommend disposing of ashes is with a metal container that has an airtight lid on top of it. That's the only way to ensure the ashes or any kind of heat, or ember don't reignite into something and turn a home into what we see behind us here," said Tavis Millerov, Meridian Township Fire Inspector.

According to officials, fireplace ashes or any kind of combustible matter should be under a 72 hour period of watch. Even though the surface ashes may not be hot there is still a chance that a gust of wind or movement could ignite the seemingly spent coals. This 72 hour window eliminates any residual heat, and hot-spots that could flare up and cause a fire. When disposing of the ashes it is important to not only keep them away from other combustible items, but to make sure that the container is fireproof and sealed airtight.

No one was harmed in the house fire pictured above.