Four residents were displaced and two cats died after a space heater sparked a building fire in Lakewood Friday morning.

West Metro Fire Rescue crews responded to a fire in an apartment building near West 12th Avenue and Ammons Street around 5 a.m. Friday morning. Firefighters were quickly able to contain the fire within the hour, stopping the flame that had moved to the roof of the five-unit apartment building.

While a few of the units were unoccupied, four residents of various apartments were displaced as the building was considered a total loss. A resident’s two cats also died during the fire, according to the fire department.

The fire was started by an electric space heater that was being used to keep pipes from freezing. The fire moved into the ceiling and then went through the first roof layer, allowing it to move through the attic, according to the department.

At this time, it’s unclear whether the space heater was placed near a combustible object or if it suffered from faulty wiring, the department said. But, the heater was relatively new and did not have any recalls.

Fires caused by space heaters, whether faulty or not, are a common and unfortunate occurrence, though.

More than 65,000 home fires are attributed to heating equipment each year in the United States, according to the Electrical Safety Foundation International.

“The most common problem is people leave the residence or the room without shutting it off,” Ronda Scholting, a spokesperson with the fire department, said, noting that people leave the heater and are unable to see if something goes wrong with it. “Turn it off when you leave the room or when you go to bed.”

Scholting also said that the heaters should be at least three feet from combustible objects, like blankets, curtains and paper. They also shouldn’t be placed on any furniture. 

Electric heaters should also be plugged directly into wall sockets and should not be plugged into extension cords, she added. Cords should also be kept out of the way due to potential tripping hazards.

Space heaters aside, Scholting added that most of the fires the department sees involve cooking, especially around the holidays.

“People leave unattended things on the stove and pets can get on the stove and knock things over,” she said. “We’ve had cats start fires by getting on top of the stove and rubbing against the knobs, turning the stove on and setting a box on fire.”

Dogs can also jump up and turn knobs on when trying to get to food, she said. Small children can also turn burners by accident.