Cause determined for northeast Cedar Rapids fire

UPDATE: Combustible materials placed too close to a space heater were cited today as the cause of a fire Wednesday night in the basement of a northeast Cedar Rapids home.

A next door neighbor heard the smoke alarms and knocked to see if anyone was home before calling fire crews to the home at 1252 32nd St. NE. Fire officials say the whole house was filled with smoke, but that the fire was contained to the basement.

The home's occupants, Christi Ware, 28, and homeowner Jessica Wright, 27, were not home at the time of the fire, officials said, but the fire caused the two to be displaced. They were assisted by the American Red Cross' Grant Wood Area Chapter.

Firefighters were told there were dogs and a cat in the home, but the two residents had the dogs with them while running errands, and the cat was found in the backyard.

Fire Department spokesman Greg Buelow reminds citizens that combustibles should be at least three feet away from a space heater.  Officials also recommend that space heaters be turned off before leaving the home or going to sleep.  Space heaters account for nearly one-third of all home heating fires.  According to the National Fire Protection Association, the leading factor in space heater fires is that the heater is too close to combustibles.

-- KCRG-TV9