Authorities say a house fire that presumably started when a heater for a dog house failed during a snowstorm was under control, only to flare up and destroy a rural home in South Dakota.
YANKTON, SD – Authorities say a house fire is believed to have broken out when a heater for a dog house was under control during a snowstorm Monday night, only to flare up early Tuesday in a rural South Dakota house to destroy.
The Yankton Fire Department said the electric fire that broke out in the dog house around 7pm on Monday engulfed a barn, spread to the side of the house and put it down in the attic. The fire also burned through a propane line attached to a 125-liter tank.
Firefighters were at home for 2 1/2 hours Monday night and thought they put out the fire, which displaced four people and the dog, Deputy Chief and Fire Chief Marshall Larry Nickles told the Yankton Press & Dakotan.
When Nickles left the scene, two rooms suffered water damage and light smoke damage was reported elsewhere, but the house was in such good condition that the heat was still on, he said. Firefighters cut holes in the metal’s roof, but the burning material may not have been detected.
The house had only an insulated hood space between the ceilings of the cathedral and the roof, which according to Nickles was a factor in the flare-up. Firefighters were called back to the scene around 5:15 a.m. Tuesday when flames shot from the roof. By that time, the storm had made the roof too slippery to walk on.
“We now believe the house is total,” Nickles said. “The dog is not happy that he lost his house, but there were no injuries.”