The Midland Fire Department is urging caution yet again after it responded Monday morning to the sixth fire this winter that was caused by the ignition of a dog house.
Northeast Volunteer Fire Department and the Midland County Sheriff’s Office assisted MFD in responding to reports of a fire at approximately 10:39 a.m. on Monday in the 2200 block of County Road 1134. First responders found flames engulfing a storage building that was located near a mobile home. The home owner reported hearing a loud popping noise from the direction of the storage building before seeing flames on a small covered porch of the storage building.
No injuries were reported in the fire, but the storage building and its contents received severe fire and water damage, and heat radiating from the flames caused damage to the exterior wall of the mobile home. Minor interior smoke and water damage was reported inside the home.
The investigation into the fire revealed that the fire was caused by a heat lamp placed inside a wooden dog house that was located on the porch to the storage building.
Fire officials urge home owners to not place heat-producing devices inside dog houses or other pet structures, and to consider that pet structures could ignite a nearby residence or combustible structures if they catch on fire. MFD recommends bringing pets inside during cold weather or simply adding additional bedding and placing the pet house out of direct wind contact.
###Media Contact: Midland Fire Marshal David Hickman