What the hells that got to do with a fireplace?
Thats a masonary furnace. Matter of fact, I know of a couple of old farm houses in WI that had the smoke house/room in the basment and the owners converted them over to heat the house. Same thing...but they aint fireplaces the people on here are relating to.
A fireplace is a fireplace, when you put and insert into them they become a woodstove at the end of the house-sometimes in the middle which is better.
It burns wood and some versions are made to burn wood all the time rather then just once or twice a day.