An electric heater used to heat water lines beneath a trailer house may have ignited the fire that destroyed a Thomson Township home Tuesday evening.
"According to the owner, there was a heater behind some pipes," said Esko-Thomson Township Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jeff Juntunen.
No one was injured in the blaze along North Cloquet Road East, although three cats died in the fire. According to the Red Cross, which is helping the family, the fire left three people homeless.
The fire was reported about 7:15 p.m. and the home was in flames when firefighters arrived.
By chance the Esko-Thomson and Solway Township fire departments were having training sessions when the fire was reported. In addition to Solway, the Proctor and Carlton fire departments helped battle the blaze.
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Esko-Thomson doesn't have formal mutual aid agreements with Solway and Proctor because they are in another county, Juntunen said, "but they come when we call. We had excellent response."
Firefighters were on the scene about three hours.
