By Kalin Krohe, Panhandle Post
The Scottsbluff and Gering Fire Departments battled a house fire over the weekend.
At approximately 5 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9 the Scottsbluff and Gering Fire Departments were called to a house fire in the 1600 block of 15th Avenue in Scottsbluff.
Scottsbluff police officers evacuated two residents from the home.
The fire was visible through the roof when fire crews arrived and appeared to be in the attic.
"Crews extinguished the fire and were on scene for over three hours," said Anthony Murphy, Scottsbluff Fire Department Fire Marshal. "The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental, caused by overloaded electrical circuits in the older home through the excessive use of space heaters."
Damage is estimated at over $20,000.
"The fire department would like to remind the public to ensure you have working smoke alarms and avoid the use of space heaters whenever possible," Murphy added. "If the use of them is necessary, space heaters should always be plugged directly into an outlet without the use of extension cords or power strips, and have at least 3 feet of clear space around them. Older homes are especially susceptible to circuit overloads and should not have more than one space heater in use on the same circuit."
The Scottsbluff Fire Department was assisted by the Scotts Bluff County Communications Center, Scottsbluff Police Department, Gering Fire Department, Valley Ambulance, Black Hills Energy and Nebraska Public Power District.
Firefighter Ministries responded to assist the displaced residents.