Fire Officials: Heat Lamps Cause Animal Deaths in Gibson County
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TRENTON, Tenn. — Pet owners in Gibson county have a warning after heat lamps set up for outdoor animals spark two different fires. A dog pen went up in flames in Trenton around 10:00 A.M. Monday. The canine survived but Tom Houser, another animal owner in Trenton, says his birds didn’t share the same fate. “I heard a pop and I thought what the heck, sounded like the neighbors shooting a 22 or something,” Houser said. Last month Houser lost four keets, or baby guineafowl, in a fire on his back porch. He says it was started by a heat lamp, a method he thought would safely keep the birds warm. “I went over and opened the door here and it was just all just burning right there,” Houser said. “The siding was melting and some of it had started to burn.” Gibson County Fire Chief Bryan Cathey says if you want to keep your pets warm use blankets and sheets instead. “Put little plastic over the front of their pen to keep them from, wind from blowing in but don’t use heat lamps,” Cathey said. Houser says he made a bad decision that will haunt him. “The heat lamp was probably not the best thing to use in those circumstances,” Houser said. “A brewer light would’ve been better but, if anybody can learn from what i did, great.” Chief Cathey says they’ve had three to four dog house fires in Gibson county within the last month, all because of heat lamps.
