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Space heater, extension cord blamed for Lee’s Summit house fire

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Lee’s Summit family escaped serious injury Wednesday after an early-morning fire.

Lee’s Summit firefighters were dispatched just before 4 a.m. to a house in the 1400 block of Southwest Jefferson Street.

The residents told dispatchers they heard a popping noise and, when they went to investigate, found smoke and fire coming from the living room.

The fire was declared under control by 4:15 a.m. but not before it caused moderate smoke damage throughout the house.

Investigators believe the fire was caused by the improper use of an extension cord with a space heater, which overheated the extension cord and caught nearby combustible material on fire.

LSFD Assistant Chief Jim Eden said Wednesday that space heaters should always be plugged directly into an outlet and not an extension cord or power strip to prevent fire risk.

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