Around 10:40 a.m. Wednesday, Kansas City Fire Department (KCFD) crews responded to a fire at a single family home on Prospect Avenue near Smart Avenue in Pendleton Heights.

One resident was home when the fire started, but was able to exit the house on his own. The Red Cross was called to assist two residents.

When crews arrived on the scene, smoke and fire were showing from the back of the house. The fire originated in the back “bonus room” of the one-story house, KCFD PIO Jason Spreitzer said.

While the cause of the fire is unknown at this time, Spreitzer reminded Kansas Citians to heat their houses safely and monitor cooking at all times.

“Obviously, with colder weather here, we need to be situationally aware,” Spreitzer said. “When you have your heaters plugged in — or anything of that nature — they need to be directly plugged into the wall, not into power strips or to extension cords. They need to be directly into the wall. That’s a huge piece because they require so much power.”

Heaters should be kept at least three feet away from flammable materials.

“In the wintertime we see a high frequency of scenarios where older homes, their heat may not be as good here in the Northeast neighborhood,” Spreitzer said. “There might be situations where we’re seeing people heating their homes with with their ovens or turning their stoves on and putting a pot of water on top and walking away. It’s never a good idea to have any of your kitchen equipment on without you being present, and obviously, heating your house with your oven is probably not a good solution for anybody.”

Spreitzer said it is obviously a tough day for the two residents, as the house will not be livable. The Red Cross will find them somewhere to stay tonight.