Related articles:

Updated: Weekend fire caused by electric blanket left on to keep pets warm 2 residents displaced by $100K fire

Finance and Accounting
Charles E. Gillman Company
Accounting Specialist Health Care
CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE
DIRECTOR OF HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT Mechanical
Komatsu Equipment Co
Resident Field Mechanic Administrative & Professional
Tucson Urban League
CEO/President Health Care
Dependable Health Services
Physical Therapists Trades/Construction
RANCHO RESORT
MAINTANANCE POSITION Sales and Marketing
Everready Glass
Sales Reps

An electric blanket left unattended Saturday started a fire that caused $100,000 worth of damage to a house north of Downtown and displaced two brothers, a Tucson fire official said Monday.

No one was injured in the fire, which was reported just before 6:30 p.m. when several people called 911 after seeing smoke in the 100 block of West Adams Street, near North Stone Avenue and West Drachman Street, said Capt. Paul McDonough, a Tucson Fire Department spokesman.

Firefighters pulled a cat and a dog out of the fire, McDonough said. The burned cat was taken to a veterinarian and later died, said one of the home's owners, 34-year-old Kenny Stewart.

The dog — a small mixed-breed named Jack — suffered from smoke inhalation but was OK, he said.

Stewart and his brother, 27-year-old Brad Stewart, had left the electric blanket on to keep their pets warm but it ended up costing the cat its life, McDonough said.

"It's just a bittersweet irony," Kenny Stewart said, adding that he'll never buy an electric blanket again. He said he bought the blanket at a yard sale and it appeared to be brand new.

"It's going to be a much more somber Christmas than expected," he said.

People should not leave electric blankets unattended and they should never purchase a used one, because they need to follow the manufacturer's instructions on how to use it safely, McDonough said.