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KRISTI HINE / TRUE DAKOTAN The Wessington Springs Volunteer Fire Department, Jerauld County Ambulance and Jerauld County Sheriff’s Office responded to a structure fire caused by a space heater on Main Street West in Wessington Springs Monday morning.
The Wessington Springs Volunteer Fire Department and Jerauld County Ambulance responded to a structure fire on Main Street Monday, January 9 at 8:27 a.m.
“When we arrived on scene, everyone including the family’s dogs were out of the house. We met the homeowner and when she pointed to where the fire was, we found a small fire next to a space heater,” said Eric Schroeder, Wessington Springs Fire Chief. (More on Schroeder and his new position in next week’s True Dakotan.) “The space heater started nearby cardboard boxes on fire and the space heater itself was on fire causing a substantial amount of smoke in the house.”
The Jerauld County ambulance transported the homeowner to AWMH for evaluation due to smoke inhalation while firemen began to evacuate the smoke with ventilation.
A snowstorm caused school to be delayed 90 minutes Monday and the children occupants were still wearing pajamas.
“Some of the kids weren’t wearing shoes and shirts and couldn’t enter the house due to the smoke. Volunteers opened up the consignment store to help temporarily clothe the kids until the homeowners do smoke mitigation in the house,” Schroeder explained.
Schroeder said this serves as an important reminder to check smoke detectors throughout the home and brush up on the basics when it comes to space heater safety.
“Make sure you have at least a three-foot clearance all the way around your space heater. Electrical space heaters need to be plugged directly into the wall. If you are using an extension cord, it needs to be properly rated,” he advised. “If you’re using a propane or any type of gas or fuel heater, make sure it is properly vented so you don’t have a carbon monoxide problem. The biggest takeaway I want to leave folks with is do not leave space heaters unattended.”