COLLINSVILLE, Texas – As winter approaches, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) warns that heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths. Simple safety measures can help prevent most heating fires, the NFPA advises.To ensure safety, the NFPA recommends keeping anything flammable at least three feet away from heating equipment such as furnaces, fireplaces, wood stoves, or portable space heaters. Establishing a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters is also advised. The NFPA cautions against using ovens to heat homes and stresses the importance of having a qualified professional install stationary space heating equipment,…