Space Heater Blamed for Fire That Killed Four in D.C.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A space heater that set bedding ablaze was blamed Tuesday for sparking the fire which killed four family members, including two children. The ruling from investigators came hours after a fire in another city home - which seriously injured two children - was also attributed to problems involving a space heater.

The deadly blaze gutted a rowhouse in Southeast Washington early Monday. Sisters Daisha Reid, 5, and Aisha McAllister, 11, died in the flames along with their mother, Joy Hellams, 30. Hellams' grandfather, David Ferguson, 70, died after jumping from a window on the second floor. It was the deadliest fire in the city since five lives were lost in a 1993 blaze.

``A gentleman who lives in the basement ... apparently tried to put the fire out himself. It got too big,'' Alan Etter, spokesman for the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, said Tuesday. ``He says he tried to get people out of the house,'' Etter said, adding that damage to the home was estimated at $180,000.

Barely 24 hours after that fire, two girls were critically hurt when another rowhouse, in Northwest Washington, caught fire. The early Wednesday fire was blamed on an overloaded extension cord connected to a space heater. It did about $100,000 in damage.

``We've got two space heater issues now,'' Etter said. ``Space heaters - you give them space. You have at least three feet of room around a space heater, and you never set a space heater on carpet.''

Space heaters powered by fuel such as propane are illegal in the district. ``Electric space heaters are legal but we don't advise that you use them,'' Etter said. ``They are very dangerous, and as evidenced in the fire (Monday), they can be quite tragic.''

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