House fire results in animal deaths

CATALDO – Officials say a heat lamp caused a house fire that resulted in the death of several animals near the Rose Lake Cutoff on Monday night. 

Just before 6:30 p.m., emergency crews from Shoshone County Fire District #2 responded to a call of a structure fire at a two-story home near the Fern Creek area of Kootenai County, north of Interstate 90.  

According to SCFD2 Chief Scott Dietrich, the home’s female resident discovered the blaze after returning home and sustained minor injuries while trying to rescue as many of the pets as she could.  

Emergency crews battled the fire for five hours before putting it out, then followed several times throughout the night and morning to make sure that it wasn’t able to reignite.  

Dietrich was unsure if the home was a total loss and said that the fire originated on the second floor and was largely contained to that area. The first floor of the home sustained some fire, smoke, and water damage, but there was a possibility for some recovery.  

Authorities couldn’t confirm how many animals perished in the fire, but despite the resident’s efforts, several were unable to be rescued.  

The fire was investigated by the Idaho State Fire Marshall’s Office which released a statement on Tuesday confirming that a heat lamp was the cause of the fire and offered suggestions to people using similar lamps for heating.  

“The fire was caused by a heat lamp, used to warm a number of reptiles and other animals,” the release read. “Unfortunately, most of the residents’ pets perished in the fire. Now that baby chicks are available at your local agricultural store, we are urging homeowners to consider using heat mats or other thermostatically controlled device, rather than using heat lamps. These appliances are designed specifically for brooding chickens and other small critters.”  

According to the ISFM, their office investigates several fires each year due to heat lamps or extension cord failures.