South Tahoe house fire kills 3 dogs

Three dogs died in a South Lake Tahoe house fire Thursday night.

Firefighters were able to keep the blaze to the interior of the two-story house, so it’s possible it could be rebuilt. In the mean time, the two occupants of the 3701 Aspen Ave., Unit 4 residence are displaced. There was extensive smoke and fire damage.

A floor heater is being blamed for causing the fire that started on the first floor at 8:22pm April 21.

“There was a bunch of debris around it. When the pilot light kicked on, it ignited the contents,” Fire Chief Jeff Meston told Lake Tahoe News.

He estimates the damage to be about $75,000.

Meston warns people to never place anything on or around a floor heater.

“It’s almost like putting something on top of a barbecue grill,” he said.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report