By Josh Hall and Troy Gillard

UPDATE: Unattended space heater to blame for house fire in north Red Deer

Apr 11, 2018 | 2:12 PM

Red Deer Emergency Services says the cause of a fire at a home in north Red Deer was an unattended space heater.

RDES Platoon Chief Gary Engebretson says they were called to the home on 59 Ave near 71 Street just after 1 p.m. on Wednesday and had the fire knocked down about 15 minutes later.

One male was home at the time of the fire. Engebretson says a family of three just moved into the dwelling this week.

Damages are estimated at about $75,000 to the home and $25,000 to the family’s belongings, according to Tim Kivell, Assistant Fire Marshall.

Kivell says there are several tips for using space heaters, including turning them off when you leave the room, placing them on solid, flat surfaces, plugging them directly into the wall and as it relates to this fire, not leaving them too close to other materials.

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Thankfully, no one was injured in the fire, but Kivell says the downstairs in currently inhabitable.