PEABODY – Fire officials are warning homeowners to check and clear furnace vents on their homes following the death of an elderly Peabody man whose furnace malfunctioned on Sunday, sending soot and fumes pouring into his home.Joseph Andrade, 86, was found by a family member inside his home on Felton Street, where police and fire officials say every room was caked with soot as the result of some type of furnace explosion from the heating system.While the investigation remains ongoing, it remains unclear if Andrade had smoke alarms or carbon monoxide detectors in his home, where he lived alone. If he had, Lynn District Fire Chief Lee Oliver said the victim might have been able to prevent and fix the malfunction.”In his case, it sounds like there was more of a major mechanical failure with a delayed ignition causing what we call blow back,” he said. “However, when carbon monoxide detectors beep, pay attention to them, because it’s alerting you for a reason. They save lives? It’s been proven over and over again.”Oliver said while furnace vents are required to be located several feet from the ground, this season’s stormy conditions have caused many of them to become caked with snow. Because of that, he urged people to break out their shovels, inspect and clear their vents.”With this year’s exceptional amount of snow, there’s the possibility that they’ll be covered and cause carbon monoxide to backup into the house,” he said. “There have been some deaths related to carbon monoxide and it’s a major concern.”Saugus Fire Chief James Blanchard also stressed the importance of clearing out vents following the recent onslaught of snowstorms, which have resulted in dozens of carbon monoxide-related calls from fumes building up in homes.Blanchard also warned that even dryer vents, if they are gas-operated, can get blocked and cause a problem if not properly cleared.