Officials Blame Gas Heater in Deadly House Fire
By: Lisa Carr
Updated: November 17, 2008
The Fire Marshal says a gas heater caused the deadly house fire in Central Lubbock Sunday.
But the investigation continues tonight into whether that heater was faulty or if the fire was caused by human error.
Garret Nelson with the Fire Marshal's Office believes 61-year-old Clifford Carter tried to fight the fire himself before succumbing to the smoke.
Nelson says there are safety issues to remember when using portable heaters to warm your home.
"Rarely does an appliance like that start a fire on its own, you know. Rarely does it all of a suddent burst into flames. It's people not thinking about it and then doing something to put something combustable in with that hot object," Nelson says.
Nelson says there was not a working smoke detector in Carter's home.
