Space heater causes fire at Vancouver house, 5 displaced

An electric space heater left too close to bedding ignited a fire Saturday in a two-story house in Vancouver, displacing five people.

Firefighters responded to the blaze, reported at 10:19 p.m. at 15802 N.E. 47th St., and contained the fire to the room of origin: a teen’s upstairs bedroom, Vancouver Fire Marshal Heidi Scarpelli said.

Heat and smoke caused damage to the rest of the second floor and a section of the main floor, for an estimated total of $116,000 in damage, Scarpelli said.

The smoke alarm alerted the family to the fire, and everyone made it out of the house safely, though a woman was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, Scarpelli said. She declined transportation to a hospital.

“It’s very important that people realize space heaters need space,” she said. “A minimum of three feet around the space heater. That’s the bare minimum.”

Scarpelli advised that space heater cords should be in good condition and plugged directly into the outlet or a power strip that has circuit protection. Never leave space heaters unattended and keep them out of high-traffic areas so they don’t get bumped, she said.