The Albert Lea Fire Department is marking Fire Prevention Week by stressing fire safety to local groups.

The Fire Department will host an open house from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday to mark the week, which lasts from Sunday to next Saturday. Demonstrations on department equipment and a kitchen fire safety trailer will be provided.

Albert Lea firefighters visited each Albert Lea school by Friday and will visit Oak Park Place, Good Samaritan Society of Albert Lea and civic groups next week to discuss home fire safety.

Albert Lea Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Laskowske advised not leaving stoves or burning candles unattended, and stressed using power strips in the kitchen and storing flammable materials in their proper containers to prevent fire.

Functioning carbon monoxide and fire detectors are necessary, Laskowske said, noting he has seen them save lives.

School visits are part of the Fire Department’s mission to educate young people on the necessity of fire safety, Laskowske said.

“We try to get it out early and often when they are young,” he said, noting firemen aim to discuss fire safety with children three to six times before they begin second grade.

For more information on the Fire Department’s public safety message, call 507-377-4340.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, Fire Prevention Week was established to commemorate the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, which killed more than 250 people, left 100,000 homeless, destroyed more than 17,400 acres and burned more than 200 acres.