Warren County Fire and Rescue personnel recently responded to two significant fires caused by improperly discarded fireplace and wood stove ashes.

One of the major causes of home fires is the improper disposal of fireplace ash.

Warren County Fire Chief James Bonzano reminds citizens to treat all ashes as if they are hot, and wait at least 24 hours before removing the ash.

You should never add live embers to an ash bucket or anything combustible.

Place a lid over the ash bucket to reduce oxygen from reaching live embers and keep ash buckets in a well-ventilated location as live embers can produce carbon monoxide.

Pour water over ashes in the bucket in an outdoor location and allow the bucket to sit for at least three days before disposing of the ashes.