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SALT LAKE CITY -- Firefighters believe a space heater sparked a fire at a Salt Lake City home early Monday morning. It happened shortly after 3 a.m. at a home near 1500 West and 1100 South.
Firefighters say a 16-year-old boy had plugged in a space heater in a back bedroom. Apparently some clothes were too close to the heater and caught fire.
The teen and four other people in the home got out safely and were waiting in the rain when firefighters arrived. They quickly knocked down the fire.
The house sustained a few thousand dollars in damage to one bedroom and some personal belongings were destroyed.
Firefighters say this is a reminder for consumers to follow the instructions while using space heaters.
Capt. Todd Hoover with the Salt Lake City Fire Department said, "I think the main thing here was the proximity of the clothes to the space heater. Every space heater has its own distance that you're supposed to keep things away. Sometimes it's 3 feet, sometimes more. So just make sure you read through that. Just realize that's real."
Firefighters say no one was injured, but we are told the family dog bit one resident on the hand as they were trying to get the animal out of the house.
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Story compiled with contributions from Shara Park and Mary Richards.
