Six people escaped a house fire early Monday and family members believe a space heater placed too close to furniture may be to blame.
Flames spread quickly through the one-story home on Billow Drive west of State Route 125 and south of State Route 94.
A woman who lives inside the home told NBC 7 they recently purchased a space heater for her niece’s bedroom. The space heater caught the bed on fire about 2:40 a.m.
She said she tried to extinguish the fire with water but the smoke became too thick.
Fire destroyed the niece’s room and damaged all of her Christmas presents, the woman told NBC 7.
An SDFD fire captain suggested homeowners keep space heaters a few feet away from any bed, furniture or clothing. Some space heaters can ignite clothing on fire quickly, he said.
Five residents inside the home and a visiting child were able to make it out of the home safely. No one was injured.
