A malfunctioning fan is believed to have sparked a house fire in St. Clair Township on Wednesday.
St. Clair Township Fire responded to a blaze at a single-storey home on Rokeby Line, between Waubuno and Telfer Roads, just before 12 p.m.
Fire Chief Richard Boyes said the fire was contained to the bedroom area and crews were able to knock it down quickly, preventing further damage.
"We're thinking damage is some place in the $150,000 and $200,000 range because there was minimal structural damage, but smoke migration was the problem," he said.
Nobody was home at the time and a neighbour alerted emergency responders.
"It always goes back to leaving unattended electrical devices running for an extended period of time," said Boyes. "If you're going away for 15 minutes, you're probably ok, but again you could never be sure. And in this case, from what I understand, the fan was operating on low speed and probably doing it for quite a while. So, you really shouldn't leave unattended electrical appliances operating."
Boyes is also reminding residents to make sure their homes are ready for the colder weather.
"The fall season is upon us and make sure that if you're using wood burning appliances, that your chimney is cleaned and you're using clean dry firewood," he said. "Have your furnace serviced annually, exercise caution and make sure that your smoke alarms are working on all levels."
