The tragic death of a Natchez man in a Wednesday night fire serves to remind us all of the dangers of fire.

A middle-aged man died Wednesday night off Redd Loop Road when a kitchen fire erupted while the man was sleeping. Others inside the house trailer attempted to extinguish the flames, but were unable to do so. Several of them were hospitalized after the blaze, their conditions unknown.

Fire is a tremendously dangerous threat all year round, but particularly in the winter months.

While this blaze started in the kitchen, many fires this time of year can begin when Christmas decorations come in contact with heaters or when electrical power cords short out and cause a fire to start.

This weekend is a great time to spend a few minutes and replace the batteries in smoke detectors in your home. Or if you don’t have smoke detectors, we urge you to obtain them and install them.

The small, relatively inexpensive devices can, and do, save lives each year by alerting people of burgeoning fires before it’s too late to escape.

Please follow common sense and turn off Christmas lights at night or when you’ll be away from the house and always ensure a safe area exists around heaters.

Please pray for those involved in this week’s deadly fire and for their families, but let’s ensure we all understand the message of just how dangerous fires can be.