To minimize a combustion stopping frequency in a whole combustion zone of a heating furnace in which a plurality of pairs of heat storage combustion burners are arranged.

When the pairs of burners have abnormalities, closing commands are given to combustion air selector valves, exhaust gas selector valves and fuel selector valves of the pairs of burners which have abnormalities. When the execution of the closing commands given to all selector valves is identified in a preset time, the combustion of the other pairs of burners in a combustion zone other than the pairs of burners which have abnormalities are continued.