I think for safety I would use LED candles there are toons of choices now .

The gas company may come out free to inspect it for safety - at least they will in my area. Call and ask what they'll do and if they charge for a visit.

Just a note: safety codes have changed in some areas for gas fireplaces. You can read up on new building and safety codes in your area on local government websites or you can talk briefly to a fireplace pro in their shop prior to hiring them to come out for a consultation.

Fire departments will usually inspect that stuff for you too, although some places are based on subscription if it's not covered through property taxes. If you had an inspection done prior to buying the home, I'm surprised they didn't mention anything about this. My home had the same thing when we bought it and I was appalled when the inspector explained how the gas starter worked-- very unsafe and no way I was going to use that thing. So I had that part removed and the key insert in the floor covered over when we put in new flooring. (We're still able to use the fireplace to burn wood.) He said it's no longer up to code (and that's saying something as we have very lax codes here) and had just attended a three hour course that discussed how unsafe they were. I'd stick to LED candles for now and not burn any wood until you can save up for the inspection. Think it was around $130- $135 in my area.

Thanks to all! I guess I will start researching some LED candles! :)

Cool looking fireplace, from the pic, the firebox looks good…Can I change it back to wood ?…:)