Space heaters suspected as cause of residential structure fires

Creston Fire is warning residents of a common winter appliance after a series of house fires this past week.

Yesterday, Creston Fire was called to 611 S. Oak St. after a fire was reported at 10:58 a.m. Creston Fire Chief Todd Jackson said it appears the fire started on the porch, where he believes a space heater was being used to keep a washer from freezing, however, the cause is still under investigation. The occupants were not home at the time of the fire, but a family dog, which was not found in the house, is still missing.

Afton, Lenox and Orient fire departments were called to provide mutual aid due to extreme winter weather conditions. Jackson said the wet snow poses a unique challenge for firefighters.

“It’s wet snow, so it accumulates on the guys. Then it melts, so then they get soaking wet and colder easier. The water obviously freezes easier, so there are slick spots, so more slips and falls,” said Jackson.

Jackson said the location of the fire and the construction of the house was a hindrance, too, but the 20 firefighters on scene were able to put out the blaze by 1:30 p.m.

In the past seven days, Creston Fire responded to two other residential structure fires.

Creston Fire was called to a residential fire at a Regency Park apartment, 612 Grand Ave., 10:30 a.m. Dec. 23. Jackson said the cause of the fire was due to a combustible placed too close to a kitchen stove. Estimated damage, which was due to mostly smoke damage, was approximately $10,000.

On Christmas Eve, Creston Fire responded to a residential structure fire at 10:11 p.m. at 103 S. Sumner St. That incident was said to be caused by a space heater plugged in on a porch, which overheated the wiring. Jackson said the estimated damage was less than $20,000.

Jackson warns others to be very cautious when using space heaters. He recalled one incident when a young woman used a space heater with the recommended distance, but after becoming over heated in her sleep, she threw off her blanket, which landed on the space heater, causing a fire.

“Just because you have a clear enough distance around it, it doesn’t mean it’s safe,” said Jackson.

Other factors should be considered, too, when using space heaters.

“You can have inadequate wiring, or another thing people do is plug them in to extension cords. Those are all no-nos. Definitely have an electrician check out your set up if you’re using one on a regular basis,” Jackson said.