Rural/Metro Fire Department wants to warn users of portable and fixed heaters to be safe when heating their home.

According to a news release from the fire department, 900 portable heater fires occur in U.S. homes each year causing 70 deaths, 150 injuries and $53 million in damages.

Safety tips for heater usage include turning off the heater when leaving the room, keep anything that can burn such as bedding at least three feet away from the heater, only use heaters with an automatic shut-off that will shut off the device if it tips over and plug heaters directly into an outlet and never into an extension cord or power strip.