(NORTH CAROLINA NEWS NETWORK) — With temperatures dropping below freezing, many are relying on heating systems to raise the temperature, but some warming methods have had deadly results. Malfunctioning space heaters are the leading cause of home fires like the recent one that left 17 people dead in a New York City high-rise apartment. State Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey tells ABC11 bad space heaters can cause significant loss of life and property if the proper steps aren’t taken. The National Fire Protection Agency found in a recent report that heating equipment was behind one out of five fire fatalities between 2014 and 2018.

Some safety tips for space heaters include:

• Have a three-foot, kid-free zone around open fires and space heaters.
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.