While the official cause of a Saturday morning house fire remains under investigation, Ketchikan Fire Chief Frank Share says he believes it originated with an electric space heater.
The fire department received the first call about the Edmonds Street fire at 9:30 a.m. Share says firefighters arrived within a couple of minutes, and remained at the scene until about 5 p.m.
One house was destroyed and two others were damaged, but there were no injuries. Share says the house where the fire began had no smoke detectors, and the lone occupant who had been sleeping narrowly escaped.
Share encourages everyone to install smoke detectors, and check the batteries regularly.
He adds that there did not appear to be any damage to the wooden boardwalk adjacent to the damaged homes. However, the city has cordoned it off while officials examine the structural integrity.
