INDIANAPOLIS — There have been many house fires in central Indiana this week, including two deaths in three separate fires in less than 24 hours.
One of those fires happened Friday afternoon on East Morris Street. Before the homeowner died from his injuries, he told the Indianapolis Fire Department that items near the space heater could have started the fire.
The department said that's how many of the house fires start.
"It happens more often than we like," Battalion Chief Rita Reith said.
Neighbors who saw this fire rushed in to help the man and were emotional after hearing the news of his passing.
"He was so close to the house. A couple of the fire burns were getting to him, so we had to pull him over to the side," Robby Barrett said.
Another reason for house fires is faulty smoke alarms. One example happened Friday morning on Belmont Street. According to IFD, a man is in critical condition after a house was set on fire, with no working smoke alarms inside.
This is something IFD said should be checked often.
"What you're looking for is a 10-year sealed battery smoke alarm," Reith said.
As it starts to get colder, IFD says those are the two main things to keep an eye out for, but this is not something you should just worry about in the winter.
"Fire doesn't discriminate, and it really is a year-round thing, so everyone needs to be prepared all year," Reith said.
If you don't have a working smoke alarm, you can request one here or call the fire department to have one installed.