Faulty heater causes fatal fire in Dairyland

The cause of a fire that killed John James Harris in September was a faulty electric heater, according to Mike Knutson, Dairyland fire chief.

The blaze occurred in Dairyland in the early morning hours of Sept. 21. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they found the camper trailer fully engulfed in flames. Authorities found the bodies of Harris and a dog in the trailer.

According to a Douglas County Sheriff’s Department report, the worst fire damage was in an area near the door of the front bedroom of the camper. There was a burnt hole in the floor at that point. Once there was enough daylight to examine the area, Sgt. Brad Hoyt with the sheriff’s department saw what appeared to be an old electric space heater beneath the hole.

“Be careful with heaters,” Knutson said when asked if there was anything the public should know. “They’re pretty dangerous.”

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