November 3, 2017, Near Auburn, WA: Mountain View Fire & Rescue responded to a garage fire around 3:42 AM and found a detached garage that was fully involved in fire with the roof collapsed due to the fire.
Firefighters quickly extinguished the fire and stopped the fire from spreading to other structures. There were no injuries to firefighters or the resident. The location of the residence was near 190th Ave SE and SE Lake Holm Road.
The investigator ruled the fire accidental with a possible cause being from heating lamps inside the garage to keep chickens and/or turkeys warm.
Heat Lamp Safety Message:
• Heating lamps should be used cautiously and they should always have a UL certification.
• It is important that the heat lamps are securely fastened to a solid object and not just held on with a spring clamp since this may case the heat lamp to fall and cause a fire.
• It is important to keep combustible material such as shavings, cardboard, fuel, etc. away from heat lamps to avoid starting a fire.
• Be sure to keep electrical cords away from animals. This will prevent the animals from chewing on the cord or knocking down the heat lamp.
• Do not overload electrical circuits since heating lamps use more electricity than regular light bulbs.
Mountain View Fire & Rescue serves the City of Black Diamond and part of the Muckleshoot Indian tribe along areas of unincorporated Auburn, Enumclaw, and Kent. The organization is a combination department with both career and volunteer personnel.
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