Tis the season to curl up by the fireplace with a good book. It's also the time of year that many houses catch on fire. Once a year, fireplaces need to be inspected and cleaned if necessary. This is especially important if the fireplace has not been used for some time. Your next step is to make sure there's nothing flammable near the fireplace.
Embers can shoot out of the fireplace and easily catch a stack of old magazines on fire.
When starting the fire, do not use flammable liquids, such as kerosene, gasoline or oil, to start the fire. Don't use charcoal indoors either. A match will usually do the trick. Don't use excessive amounts of paper to build the fire. It is possible to create a fire so intense that it catches the chimney on fire.