Oven explosion displaces Cedar Rapids woman

A kitchen fire displaced a Cedar Rapids woman Wednesday, prompting a warning from Cedar Rapids fire officials about the dangers of using gas ovens as home heating sources.

According to a news release from fire department spokesman Greg Buelow, Terri Yates, a tenant of 1552 Seventh Ave. SE, was using her oven to heat the residence after her furnace had failed earlier in the week. The oven exploded and burned her kitchen, authorities said.

Yates told firefighters she heard the loud noise at around 3:04 p.m. Wednesday and found flames coming from the ove's broiler.

Yates then left the house and alerted a neighbor to call 911. Light smoke was found in the entryway on the first floor, and a fire crew extinguished the fire in the kitchen. Damage was limited to the oven, floor and parts of the wall.

The fact that the house is a rental property and there was no heat meant that Yates will not be able to return until the fire damage and the furnace are repaired, Buelow said.

The property is owned by Richard and Bridget White of Cedar Rapids.

Buelow said the Fire Department does not recommend using a gas oven as an alternative heating source, because it can cause a build-up of carbon monoxide, which poses a greater danger during a fire as well as a general health hazard.