By james art 
Lubbock’s fire rescue service opened several deceased dogs after extinguishing a fire caused by a heating lamp in a dog house on Tuesday.
According to LFR, firefighters responded to a grass fire alert shortly before 5:30 pm
On their arrival at the scene, the firefighters noticed a burning meadow in the backyard near a shed for storage and a dog house to the back of the property, LFR said in a social media publication.
After suppressing the fire, a dead female dog and 10 puppies were found in the dog house.
“The office of the fire department of the Lubok fire service has determined the cause of the fire due to a heating lamp inside the dog house,” LFR officials said.
The department urged the public to be careful when using heating lamps.
“Please, let this serve as a reminder that heating lamps should be used with extreme caution and placed at a safe distance from animals and combustible substances,” LFR said.
According to the Texas Insurance Department, heating appliances – including room heaters – are the third leading cause of deaths in home fires after smoking and cooking materials. Heaters represent more than 15% of all deaths in the home fire.
“We see some fatal fires at this time of year, which include a heating appliance,” said Debra Knight, a fire official. “Most of them are accidental and could be avoided by following some basic safety tips.”
Here are some safety tips using heating appliances:
- Check the heater to make sure that there are no loose cables or cracked or broken plugs. If so, replace the heater.
- Make sure that electric or kerosene heaters have a “UL” safety sign, indicating that the product is certified for quality and safety standards.
- Always turn on your heater directly into the socket. Avoid extensions or branches.
- Reduce your risk by keeping your heater to at least three feet of anything that can burn, including furniture, blankets or mattresses.
- Turn off the heater before you leave the room or go to bed. The best way to be sure is to turn it off the contact.
- Never use or store flammable liquids in the same room with a heater. And since the heaters are electric, do not approach them when you are wet.
- Keep children and pets away from heaters.