Several of January's 11 fatal fire deaths in Minnesota remain under investigation. But Daniel Bernardy, who coordinates public education, said firefighters are worried because people seem not to be taking the dangers of fire seriously enough.

Maybe it's our inattention to a smoke detector that's out of date, has dead batteries, or is poorly placed.

Maybe it's rank carelessness, such as smoking while drowsy, leaving kids alone with the temptation of a burning candle, or failing to keep an eye on a fireplace or wood stove. Those are the causes that most of us believe we're on top of. But Bernardy raised another issue that he said is common to many house fires: storing boxes of household stuff in places where they essentially provide tinder -- what he called a fire load -- if something should go wrong.

"Good housekeeping practices are so important," Bernardy said. "So many people have things piled in homes where they shouldn't be. Boxes in hallways, in mechanical rooms where they're out of sight, out of mind, or piled in places where they just shouldn't be." He's a big fan of moving household clutter into storage sheds, or at least to the garage, but said that safety can be increased simply by wise housekeeping.

The website for the state department of public safety (www.fire.state.mn.us) lists steps people can take, from keeping dryer vents clear of lint to not using stove tops as extra counter space. If you do store boxes in the home, make sure they're at least three feet away from any source of potential fire, such as a water heater, furnace or washer/dryer. Nor should boxes be stacked in places where you could stumble over them in the panic of a fire.

"Personal responsibility has become our theme song around here," Bernardy said. "The fire service is willing to help in any way, but we need to know who needs help. We need to hear the phone ring before we hear the alarm ring."

Bernardy said municipal fire departments can supply smoke detectors or fresh batteries to homeowners who can't afford them, through supplies provided by the state at a reduced cost. "If people would call their local fire departments, I know they would see they had a smoke alarm by the time they went to bed."

Carbon monoxide detectors also are important, he said, because carbon monoxide leaks can be triggered in the most ordinary of ways. Often the alarms go off in late fall when the furnace is turned on and the impact of a new, tighter roof or other home improvement is realized.

But a leak can be caused by something as simple as knocking a furnace vent a bit off-kilter when taking out your skis or returning the holiday decorations to their storage spot.