Omaha firefighters battled extreme conditions Friday morning to bring under control a south Omaha house fire that was started by a space heater.
It took firefighters about 10 minutes to control the blaze at 3216 K St. They responded to the fire call about 6:40 a.m.
Two people in the 1 1/2-story, single-family residence escaped from the home before firefighters arrived. One person was treated at the scene for minor injuries, officials said.
Firefighters battled the blaze in stiff northwest winds and temperatures in the teens.
Capt. Tim McCaw of the Omaha Fire Department blamed the accidental blaze in an upstairs bedroom on a space heater that was too close to combustibles. The fire started near the foot of a bed where the space heater was situated, he said.
McCaw said the home suffered an estimated $15,000 in damage.
The American Red Cross Heartland chapter said Friday that its Disaster Action Team helped the two people who escaped from the fire.
The Red Cross said the K Street fire was the 10th fire reported in the Omaha area in a week. The chapter said its 17 volunteers have assisted 39 people affected by house fires during the week.
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