FIRE that blazed through a West Tamworth home is believed to have been caused by a heater.
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Crews from 452 and 508 West Tamworth Fire and Rescue NSW rescued a very grateful pooch from the Sale Street home on Monday night.
Firefighters suspect the fire was caused by a blanket falling onto a heater in the rear bedroom, and are reminding residents to keep all items one metre from the heater.
One person was taken to Tamworth hospital with suspected smoke inhalation.
Tamworth Fire and Rescue Zone Office duty commander Peter Nugent said the tenant had a fan heater in the back room and two dogs.
“She went to have a shower and it would appear one of the dogs has maybe knocked the heater and gotten too close to something combustible,” he said.
“We were actually doing a drill at the time, and we were called out to the fire at around 7:20pm.
“There was fairly significant fire damage to the room of origin, the flame got up into the roof structure, and the remainder of the house had heat and smoke damage.”
Crews got to the fire and had it controlled within minutes, and duty commander Nugent said the dogs were easily rescued.
“He was very grateful, he was a very happy dog,” he said.
Cooler months see a ten per cent increase in the number of house fires, with more fires in bedrooms and loungerooms due to heaters and electric blankets.
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Firefighters warn residents to install all heaters according to manufacturer’s instructions, have them regularly serviced and never use wheat bags in bed.
More than 40 per cent of house fires are caused by electrical appliances and faults.