Two West Kelowna residents spent the night with emergency support services after a portable space heater ignited and caused a house fire, Tuesday, March 21, 2017 on West Kelowna Road.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/West Kelowna Fire Rescue
March 21, 2017 - 9:15 AM
WEST KELOWNA - A space heater fire at a home in West Kelowna early this morning has left two people in the care of emergency support services.
West Kelowna Fire Rescue says just before 2 a.m. this morning firefighters responded to a report of a fire at a two-storey single family home in the 1400 block of West Kelowna Road.
The 911 call said a portable space heater had short circuited and caught on fire, with the flames spreading to nearby furniture, according to a media release. The residents were alerted to the fire by smoke detectors and used two fire extinguishers on the flames.
Firefighters removed the damaged furniture from the home. There was minor fire damage to the home, but smoke damage affected the main living area.
“In this case the residents were able to suppress the fire successfully,” Assistant fire chief Darren Lee says in a press release. “However, we would be remiss if we did not stress that anyone using a fire extinguisher must ensure that their own personal safety and the safety of others takes precedence over the preservation of property.”
Lee emphasizes the possible dangers of heating appliances.
“Space heaters are that type of heating equipment most often involved in home heating fires, figuring in two of every five of these fires and accounting for 84 per cent of associated civilian deaths, 75 per cent of civilian injuries, and 52 per cent of direct property damage,” the release says.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2017