Shreveport Home Burns Down Due to Unsafe Heating Source

On Sunday, December 22, 2024, at 1:34 PM, the Shreveport Fire Department received a report of a house on fire in the 1700 block of George Washington Carver Avenue in
Shreveport’s Martin Luther King Jr. community.

The 911 call was placed by the homeowner who, upon their return to the house, discovered the flames. Engine 6 arrived on scene within five (5) minutes and reported flames coming from both sides of a one story manufactured house.
It took the efforts of twenty-one (21) firefighters operating eight (8) units to bring the fire
under control. No injuries to any firefighters or the public were reported.
The house was unoccupied at the time of the fire. After performing a full assessment of
the scene and collecting the necessary evidence, investigators determined that the fire
originated from the flames of a gas stove inside the kitchen.

The homeowner admitted to lighting the stove to provide heat for the house prior to leaving. As the winter months are now upon us and temperatures are turning cooler, an increase in residential fires typically occurs. Using a stove to heat your home is never a safe practice.

If your home is equipped with central heating, have the unit serviced by a
licensed technician at least annually. If you must resort to alternative means for heat,
obtain a space heater that is UL (Underwriters Laboratories) approved, plug it directly
into a grounded wall outlet, provide at least 3 feet of space to combustibles, and turn it
off if you leave the room or home.