Dog, space heater give family a fiery combination

Friday, Nov. 14, 2003 | 9:40 a.m.

A dog knocking a blanket onto a space heater in a bedroom sparked a fire Thursday at a home in eastern Las Vegas that destroyed two rooms, damaged a car in a driveway and caused $15,000 in damage, the Clark County Fire Department said.

It was the first fire of what firefighters call the secondary heating system season, when people start to use space heaters, fireplaces, wood stoves and regular stoves to heat rooms as the first chill descends on the Las Vegas Valley.

"Often it is too cold to not have some form of heat on but not cold enough to fire up the furnace," CCFD spokesman Bob Leinbach said. "The problem with space heaters is that they aren't designed to heat a room, but rather a small space.

"Space heaters should never be used in a sleeping area."

County firefighters Thursday responded to an alarm at 5:15 a.m. at 4139 Karen Ave., near Lamb Boulevard, and arrived to find flames shooting out of the front of a 1,200-square-foot, single-story house.

Several residents, including a 10-year-old boy, his parents and his grandmother were safe outside, along with their six pet dogs, Leinbach said, noting there were no injuries.

Firefighters limited the fire to the bedroom, a bathroom and the driveway, Leinbach said.

Leinbach said space heaters can be used effectively and safely for a number of activities, including in work areas of a hobby room or a sewing room or to keep an elderly or disabled person warm as they sit in a chair watching television.

He said space heaters should be placed at least three feet away from the subject who is being warmed and also should be kept clear of drapes and other objects that can serve as fuel.

Leinbach said he did not have statistics immediately available on space heater fires in Clark County, but noted they are of prime concern to fire officials at this time of year.

He said rarely does a space heater malfunction. In nearly every instance space heater fires occur when the heaters accidentally come into contact with other items, Leinbach said.

Leinbach also said people should be careful and properly use fireplaces and wood stoves this time of year, but cautioned that regular stoves, like space heaters, are not designed to heat rooms and should not be used for that purpose.