LIVINGSTON PARISH - Firefighters are issuing a warning to homeowners using generators after investigating at least four fires in 48 hours.

Sunday night, a shop on Catholic Hall Road in Albany was destroyed, and firefighters said items inside the shop, as well as the fuel being stored there, made the fire progress more quickly than normal.

They said the family installed a new generator and didn't realize the settings were different, so the exhaust from the generator ignited the siding on the shop. Luckily, no injuries were reported.

The State Fire Marshal is offering up these tips to protect your home and family when using generators:

They say generators were not meant to run as long as some people have been out of power, so users should give them breaks when possible.

You should refuel or change the oil when the generator has been off for at least 20 minutes, never place it inside any structure, and there should be a working carbon monoxide monitor installed in homes.