LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- With the Arctic air that has swept through Acadiana, Lafayette Fire Department spokesman Alton Trahan offers some tips people could use to stay both safe and warm.

Trahan said if homeowners plan to use space heaters, they need to check the wires to make sure they are not damaged.

"With space heaters you want to make sure you give them at least three feet of space from anything that can ignite, keep it away from your sofa or your bedding material as well," said Trahan.

He says these devices are not designed to run 24 hours a day inside of a home. Trahan suggests homeowners unplug them right before going to bed.

"If you warm the home up or the room you sleep in, when you go to bed, turn the space heaters off and wake up a little bit earlier in order to put them back on so you can warm the room up," he said.

He recommends homeowners do not use their ovens or drain stoppers for heating as they generate minimal heat and pose a carbon monoxide risk and fire hazard. Instead, he suggests using a wood burning fireplace or electric fireplace to warm your home.

"Make sure if you do have a wood burning fireplace that you use it, because hopefully by now you would have it inspected...so that there's no bird nest or anything that's blocking the fence from the top," said Trahan.

He advises homeowners to make sure they have smoke alarms in their home.

"You should have a working smoke alarm inside the home so that therefore in case there is a small fire and you are asleep, it can awaken you that way you could exit everyone out the house safely," said Trahan.

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