A Thursday night (January 11) house fire in Airdrie, is prompting the Fire Department to remind you to properly maintain heaters and furnaces this winter.  

The fire occurred at a home on Southcreek Place S.E. and started after a boiler used to heat an addition that had been built on the home ignited combustible material around it.  The fire burned down into a crawlspace and fire crews had to rip up the floor to put it out.  Damage to the room and contents is estimated at $15,000.  The family that was home at the time of the fire managed to evacuate the house safely and no one was injured.  

The fire happened during the bitter cold spell in Airdrie and Deputy Fire Chief Garth Rabel says it's incumbent upon everyone to make sure your heating appliances are all well maintained in winter.  

"Before these cold snaps, we've had two real severe cold snaps during recent memory, it's really important that prior to cold weather that we do put effort and emphasis on our heating appliances so that when they are working aggressively that they are going to be reliable and safe."

Rabel says fire investigators are looking at the operation of the heater itself to see how the fire got started but maintenance of heaters and furnaces is essential.

"Maintenance is really, really important with boilers, heaters, furnaces just to make sure that they do function properly.  The message of maintenance is extremely important for us."

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