SCOTT, La. (KLFY) — A house fire in Scott could have spread if firefighters had not acted quickly. Scott fire officials attribute Sunday’s fire to a malfunctioning lighted fan and heater unit in the restroom.  

Scott’s Fire Chief Chad Sonnier reports that upon arrival, firefighters entered the home on Notre Dame and found the fire in the restroom, which extended into the attic. Fortunately, the remainder of the home was unaffected.

Deputy Fire Chief Chris Domingue points out that in winter, it’s important to keep stuff away from anything that can catch fire. When the temperature rises, the focus turns to air conditioning units and their filters.

“Inside the unit itself, we call it the birdcage where the motor is. A lot of time lint builds up in there, and it’s on the wiring, and then you’ll have a little electrical fire,” Domingue added.

Recently, a camper in Scott caught fire due to an overloaded electrical unit. The owner lost everything. Residential house fires caused by an electrical source are more common than some think.

“The window unit will have instructions that tell you not to plug it into an extension cord; you need to plug it directly into a wall socket,” Domingue stated.

Additionally, do not use a light bulb wattage that exceeds the wattage recommended for the light socket.

“Sometimes, these kids will try to modify their headlights and try to use a certain light bulb. The vehicle came from the factory with a certain lightbulb for that reason. We had a few vehicle fires because they’re using light bulbs that shouldn’t have been on the vehicle,” Domingue explained.

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