Rug Covers Floor Furnace, Ignites Apartment Fire

Fire Dept. spokesperson Lisa Derderian points to a Saturday night apartment fire as a hard lesson about covering floor heaters with combustibles that others can learn from. The outcome could have been far worse.

Although the apartment in the 300 block of South Oak Knoll Ave. suffered $25,000 in structural damage, the owners were not home at the time the fire ignited and no injuries were suffered or lives lost.

“Thankfully we were able to save the dog and cat,” Derderian said.

The 11:58 p.m. blaze was reportedly caused by the ignition of a rug placed over a floor furnace outlet. Utilities and gas were shut off to the building, which affected three other units.

The residents arrived on scene a short time after the Fore Dept. arrived. Temporary shelter was offered and refused by the occupants, authorities say.

Pasadena police assisted with traffic control during the incident.