House fire results in animal deaths in Cataldo

CATALDO — A heat lamp is being blamed for causing 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 No. 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 pets as she could.  

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

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

Authorities couldn’t confirm how many animals died in the fire. 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 Tuesday confirming that a heat lamp was the cause of the fire and offered suggestions to people using similar lamps for heating.  

The release said now that baby chicks are available at local agricultural stores, homeowners should consider using heat mats or other thermostatically controlled devices, rather than heat lamps.

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