Heater Fire Guts 3 Rooms of House
An early morning blaze caused by a space heater gutted three rooms of a Ventura house Saturday, but the three occupants escaped unscathed, authorities said. The fire, which ignited bedding in a child’s bedroom before it spread, caused $100,000 in structural damage and $50,000 to the contents of the one-story home at 1255 Coventry Ave., said Kevin Rennie, a Ventura Fire Department battalion chief.
Firefighters confined the 6:30 a.m. fire to two bedrooms, a dining room and adjoining hallways, though the remainder of the house owned by Dorothy Stoner sustained extensive smoke and heat damage, Capt. Roger Morgenthaler said.
Investigators believe the heater, used to warm the child’s room on chilly nights, was left too close to bed blankets.
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