MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - As the winter months are approaching it's necessary to know how to heat your home properly.

Having cracks or build up in your chimney can cause fires and carbon monoxide poising. Be sure that you're chimney is inspected and cleaned once a year to prevent this from happening.

A more common issue is fireplace heating. Fire inspector Tavis Millerov says that he has seen a spike in fires involving fireplaces.

" We were seeing people who you know were saying we're going to leave for a couple hours or they’re going to have Christmas eve dinner, we had a fire out on Newman Road that gentleman left the house to go have dinner with his family and he loaded up as far has he could put wood into the thing and unfortunately his house burned down as a result of it," says Millerov.

Any wood stove or fireplace should never be over 40 percent full. Be sure to follow manufactures direction when it comes to stove heating.

Millerov also says to stay away from space heaters as the risks outweigh the benefits. If a space heater is necessary make sure to keep it a least three feet away from all objects.