OGDEN, Utah, Nov. 25, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A fire started by a space heater in a single-family Ogden home Sunday afternoon caused significant damage to the structure.
Deputy Chief Eric Bauman, Ogden City Fire Department, said the blaze at 1240 Fifth St.was reported at 4:02 p.m.
Although crews arrived quickly, the fire was already well underway, Bauman said, and they had to take a defensive position, attacking the flames from the outside before it was safe to go into the home
Once inside, they were able to extinguish the fire rapidly, Bauman said.
He estimated damage to the home at $80,000. No one was injured in the fire, but the resident was displaced.
Bauman told Gephardt Daily the space heater had been plugged into an extension cord, which is what sparked the fire.
“This time of year, people are using space heaters, and it’s really important to have it plugged into a wall outlet, because an extension cord can’t handle the load,” he said.
“Be home when the space heater is in use, and don’t have it near anything flammable,” he added.
Bauman said the same caution applies to electric “fireplace”-type heaters — they should always be plugged into an appropriate wall outlet, never an extension cord.
