Of course, cation is needed when using any kind of fire. Just take the space heaters I use to heat the house. The darn things are very hot. You will get a serious burn if you touch it, let alone knock one over. I have yet or anyone in my house for that matter done any of these things. It is all about pre-cations. I recommend a CO detector. I just bought a new one even though the old one was supposed to be good for another 2 after 3 years of use, just in case and I have yet to detect any CO on both read outs. Our house is really drafty. :-)

I also recommend a fireplace grate if you have little ones running around or maybe dogs.

Dave