Fire has gutted at least two area residences over the last several days.

On Saturday, smoke billowed high into the sky from a Vidalia house fire. The smoke was visible from miles away, a symbol that the most dangerous fire season has arrived.

When early morning temperatures first begin dipping into the chilly reaches of the thermometer, residents often begin using small, portable space heaters to keep areas of their houses warm.

While we do not know if that’s the cause of Saturday’s Vidalia fire or another house blaze early Tuesday in the Morgantown community in Natchez, given the cooler weather we’ve had, the risk of space heater fires is higher than normal.

The risk of house fires in general rises significantly during the fall and winter months, in large part due to fires sparked by home heating methods.

With space heaters, always remember to leave at least a 3-foot zone around them, removing all potential flammable materials nearby and always unplug electric heaters when leaving a room.

By all means, never sleep with a space heater running unattended.

That billowing plume of smoke Saturday was a wonderful reminder for all of us to spend a few minutes this week to test all smoke alarms in your residence. If you don’t have smoke alarms, please install one.

The simple, relatively inexpensive devices can save your life in a fire.

With some precautions and a little care, we can avoid another house fire in the area.