Fire that started in dog house hits rural South Dakota home

Authorities say a house fire started when a dog heater failed during a snowstorm was supposed to be under control, only to burst and destroy a rural South Dakota home

YANKTON, SD – Authorities say a house fire started when a dog kennel heater failed during a blizzard was reportedly under control Monday night, before igniting early Tuesday and destroying a home rural South Dakota.

The Yankton Fire Department said the electrical fire that started in the doghouse around 7 p.m. Monday engulfed a shed, spread to the side of the house, and moved into the attic. The fire also burned through a propane line connected to a 125 gallon tank.

Firefighters were home for 2.5 hours Monday night and believed they had put out the blaze, which displaced four people and the dog, Deputy Chief and Fire Marshal Larry Nickles told Yankton Press & Dakotan.

When Nickles left the scene, two rooms had suffered water damage and slight smoke damage was reported elsewhere, but the house was in good enough condition that the heat was still on, he said. Firefighters drilled holes in the metal roof of the house, but may not have located all of the burning materials, leading to the restart on Tuesday, the deputy chief said.

The house only had an isolated lattice space between the cathedral ceilings and the roof, which Nickles said was a factor in the push. Firefighters were called back to the scene at around 5:15 a.m. Tuesday when flames erupted from the roof. By this time, the storm had made the roof too smooth to walk.

“Our current estimate is that the house has been totaled,” Nickles said. “The dog is not happy to have lost his home, but there were no injuries.”