SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - As the weather gets colder, fire officials are reminding people to service their home heating equipment as it is the second-leading cause of residential fires and the leading source of carbon monoxide. 22News is working for you on ways to protect yourself. Over the past five years, fire officials have responded to nearly 6,000 home heating equipment fires in Massachusetts. There were eight deaths, over 100 injuries, and more than $42 million in property damage from these fires. Fireplaces, wood stoves, and their chimneys account for a rising share of home heating fires. Springfield Fire Captain Drew Piemonte says to keep anything that can burn at least three feet away on all sides and use a fireplace screen or keep the wood stove door closed to prevent sparks and embers from escaping. If you have a furnace, water heater...or oil burner with a pilot light, keep a three-foot "circle of safety" around it. Don't store gasoline, painting supplies, or other flammable solvents in the home --their vapors can be ignited by a pilot light. These heating systems should also be checked and serviced at least once a year, by a licensed professional. "So you don't get a crease or build up in the chimney flue, which again, could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. And when they when they do the inspection, you'll be inspecting the mortar, wants to make sure you don't have broken mortar joints to protect. Also lead to exhaust issues on the furnace and be a source of information for carbon monoxide levels.," said Piemonte. And Carbon monoxide is a danger all year, but it's especially dangerous in winter when heating equipment gets used more often. In the past five years, firefighters dealt with more than 24-thousand carbon monoxide calls, most of them in winter. It is suggested to have a working smoke and carbon monoxide on every level of the home and test them every month. Local News Headlines How to reduce risk of home heating equipment fires Bay Path University held its 12th annual cybersecurity summit to educate people about the impact of AI on cybersecurity State House Spotlight: Conferences and commissions Two new Latino-owned businesses open on Belmont Avenue WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.