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Space heater blamed in house fire
By CURTIS KRUEGER, Times Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG -- The rooms were still chilly in Bobbie Tobias' antique-filled house when a neighbor stopped by early Friday. So she plugged in a space heater before she walked back to her bedroom to change. But her friend Mike Kaufman called out from the living room: "Oh, no!" Flames danced over the couch. Tobias filled buckets of water as Kaufman tried to smother the fire with a blanket, but the blaze kept spreading. She threw her macaw Lucky out on the yard, and someone else pulled her black Labrador retriever Buster out of the bedroom, as flames raged throughout the small concrete block home at 5025 69th Way N, nestled in the Lakeside Village mobile home park north of St. Petersburg. The fire destroyed Tobias' five oak dressers and other antique furniture, along with countless mementos. Firefighters said the space heater was the cause of the fire. The Tampa Bay area is coming out of its first cold snap, but as winter progresses, fire safety officials around the region are reminding homeowners and renters to be cautious when using the portable heaters. "We don't recommend the space heaters, but they're just a fact of life. Some of the lower-income areas, they need to have one. . . . Every year we have a few fires that are caused from these things," said Lealman Fire Chief Rick Graham, whose agency doused the fire. "They scare me personally, but they're out there and if that's what someone needs to keep warm, then be very careful," said Pasco County Fire Marshal Larry Whitten. Fire officials say space heaters can become dangerous if they get too close to beds, sofas or anything else combustible, such as a stack of newspapers. The heaters can ignite blankets or other materials that touch the heating element. It's not clear exactly what went wrong with Tobias' heater. She said her couch caught fire shortly after she plugged in the heater with an extension cord that ran alongside the couch. She also said her housing manager had recently done some electrical work on the house, and that she had been hearing an occasional buzzing from the fuse box. Mike Nolen, manager of Lakeside Village, confirmed that he had recently done electrical work on the house, but said he had heard no other complaints since then from Tobias. The house Tobias rented had no other source of heat. But Nolen said the fire did not give him doubts about space heaters. "Not if they're used correctly, not at all, because that's what I have in my home," he said. Tobias was treated and released from St. Petersburg General Hospital for smoke inhalation and burns to her foot. Her friend Kaufman was in fair condition at Bayfront Medical Center on Friday. With her house gutted and most of her possessions charred, Tobias is not sure where she will stay. But Tobias said she already has made up her mind about space heaters. "I'm not using them," she said. Space heater safetySome tips on using space heaters: "Don't put it too close to the bed where the bed linens could ignite. Don't throw anything on top of it," and keep it away from other flammable items such as stacks of newspapers, said Beverly Richards, fire inspector for St. Petersburg. She urged people to use newer models that shut off when knocked over. Never leave the house with a space heater turned on, said Pasco Fire Marshal Larry Whitten, especially when pets could knock one over. And be careful with extension cords, which can break down and spark when stepped on or left under the leg of a couch. Julie Reynolds, spokeswoman for the National Fire Prevention Association near Boston, said her association urges people not to leave space heaters on while they sleep. "They're not designed to operate without adult supervision. If (people) are looking for something to warm them through the night, they should look to see if they can obtain some fuel assistance." Keep working smoke detectors in the house.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
