The Cape Coral Fire Department says keeping your shutters up while they're not needed for a storm can be dangerous in the event of a fire.
Four in your corner spoke with neighbors who say they're keeping shutters up around their home because they know we're still in hurricane season.
"We heard about the Hurricane Maria. We were thinking that she might be coming this way," Theresa Rhoden said.
She also didn't know that her shutters were a fire hazard, either.
Fire Division Chief Mike Russel says they're team has responded to 22 structure fires since Irma, which he says is more than normal.
"There have been instances this week where we have had to physically cut the shutters off with power saws," Chief Russel said.
He says in an emergency, they need all the time they can get. So taking the time to cut through shutters to get inside a home can be dangerous for everyone.
"It's dangerous because they potentially would not have a way out of the room that they're in in the event that there was a fire," he said.
While it might be inconvenient, Chief Russel says it's smart to take your shutters down after every storm because fires can happen anywhere to anyone.
