We just turned our gas fireplaces off for the season. The rooms get way too hot with just the pilot on.
And, OMG! you are going to let city slickers start a FIRE in your apartments???
My take on that...there is a big inn next door to me. They have fireplaces in the rooms. They have instructions. The firewood is all laid out in the fireplace, kindling and all. You basically have to light the damn match and OPEN THE DRAFT. How many times in the SUMMER do I have to close my windows because I am being smoked out by loony tunes trying to start a fire when it is 80 degrees outside - you do not want to know how often this happens. (I don't know if they lay the fire on in the summer or if people just try to burn whatever.)
I was just in there today and their big fireplace in the drawing room has the nice decorative screen up so they are not doing fires in the drawing room right now.