Fire officials in Aylmer believe a space heater may be to blame for a fire that destroyed a home on New Year's Day.
Two people and their cat made it out of the burning house on Oak St. safely after a fire began in the garage around 4pm.
Firefighters from Aylmer's volunteer service and Malahide Township's fire department were met with flames shooting out of the front of the garage and home when they arrived, said Aylmer Fire Chief Sam Taylor. The over two dozen firefighters spent five hours extinguishing the blaze and dousing hot spots.
Taylor said while the home, a vehicle, and a storage trailer were destroyed, firefighters were able to save a nearby house from the fire. A damage estimate has yet to be determined.
Fire officials are continuing to investigate whether an electric heater in the garage was the cause of the fire.
Taylor notes people using space heaters or micro furnaces throughout the winter need to use extra caution to help prevent devastating fires.
"You have to consider whether the heater has been made to heat that big of a space. Otherwise, they run constantly and tend to overheat or breakdown. If the heaters are on an extension cord it may not be an adequate cord," said Taylor. "So there certainly are precautions or things people should look out for when they are running temporary heat sources."