Official: Space Heater Sparked House Fire

A space heater fire Friday evening at a Northridge home caused $250,000 in damage.

No injuries were reported in the house fire in the 19600 block of Lassen St., west of Tampa Avenue, according to Katherine Main of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Another house fire caused by a space heater displaced four people in Echo Park, according to LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey. That space heater fell on combustible materials.

The fire in the one-story home in the 1700 block of Effie St. was reported at 7:22 p.m. Saturday and knocked down in 23 minutes, the Los Angeles Fire Department's Brian Humphrey said.

Four people live in the house, but only two women were home when the fire occurred and they escaped without injury, Humphrey said.

One of the women saw the space heater fall. "She saw it strike combustibles and instantly erupt into flames," he said.  A total of 44 firefighters responded to the blaze.

Damage was estimated at $175,000, including $125,000 to the structure and $50,000 to contents, Humphrey said. The four displaced residents were seeking their own accommodations.

"Use extreme caution with space heaters," he said. 

Keep combustibles at least three feet away from them and unplug space heaters when not in use, fire officials advise.

—City News Service.