GULF SHORES, Ala. — All along the Gulf Coast, residents have been hit with unseasonably cool temperatures over the past several days, causing many to reach for their thermostats, space heaters, or toss some logs into the fireplace.

The cities of Bay Minette, Mobile and Foley all hit the 39-degree mark early Monday morning, with Gulf Shores reaching down into the mid-40s

Often, when heating units are rekindled for the first time, especially after a long hot summer, there can be problems with fires.

Already in Gulf Shores, the Fire Department has responded to calls related to heating units.

Since heating related fires are the second highest cause of house fires, Gulf Shores Fire Chief Hartley Brokenshaw takes the change in the seasons seriously.

“We do get a number of calls often related to electric heaters, since they have not been running all summer and the dust will build up on them,” Brokenshaw said. “The first time you turn them on you will get a burning smell, but what it usually means is just the dust burning off of the units.”

Brokenshaw said that while attention needs to be paid to such a situation, normally after the dust burns off, the unit will no longer emit the burning smell.

On Monday, the Gulf Shores Fire Department responded to a call from a house where the smoke detectors went off simply as a result of the dust burning off of the unit.

 “Natural gas units really need to be looked at on an annual basis before they are put to use,” Brokenshaw said.

Fire officials said they will normally get calls to homes with fireplace fires because the chimney flue’s have not been cleaned.

Another cause for concern this time of  year is space heaters, which Brokenshaw said need to be kept away from any type of combustibles.

“Anyone who uses a space heater needs to be sure it is a UL (Underwriters Laboratories) listed unit so if it accidentally turns over it shuts off automatically, and just keep it away from anything flammable,” he said.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, fire departments responded to an estimated 1.5 million fires in  2008.

These fires resulted in 3,320 civilian fire fatalities, 16,705 civilian fire related injuries and an estimated $15.5 billion in property loss.

Across the country, a fire occurs in a residential structure every 78 seconds and results in a civilian fire death every 158 minutes.

In 2006, heating equipment fires accounted for 16 percent of all reported home fires and 21 percent of home fire deaths.

Half all all heating fires occurred in December, January and February in 2003-2006, with home heating fires peaking between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Installing and testing smoke alarms

—Courtesy of the Home Safety Council