Duplex Fire Started by Baseboard Heater

It's that time of year when baseboard and portable heaters cause fires.

Yakima Fire Department firefighters were called to the 2300 block of West Logan Avenue at about 6:55 p.m. Thursday after a report of a fire at a duplex in the 2300 block of West Logan Avenue. Fire crews found a fire in a bedroom in one of the units caused by a baseboard heater. The fire in the bedroom burned the exterior of the home before the flames were doused. No one was home at the time of the fire. No injuries were reported.
A news release says the fire damaged one bedroom and the exterior of the duplex. There was smoke and heat damage throughout the entire unit.

"Damage is estimated at $18,000. An investigation found that combustible items were stored on the floor against a baseboard heater that started working due to the cold weather. That, in turn, caused the stored items to catch on fire.

YFD asks the community to please keep combustible items, such as clothing, at least three feet away from baseboard heaters and space heaters. Never use space heaters with an extension cord."