Lafayette Firefighters rescued three pets Saturday evening when a house caught on fire.
Firefighters were called to the 200 block of Ridgewood Street just before 7 p.m.
The fire was reported by a neighbor who noticed smoke coming from the roof of the dwelling. Firefighters arrived on scene within 3 minutes, and found heavy smoke was venting from the duplex-style structure.
Emergency crews made entry and discovered the fire in a storage closet for a hot water heater. The fire was quickly extinguished. Both units sustained smoke and fire damage.
The occupants of both units were not home at the time of the fire. Firefighters rescued three pets from one of the units. The pets were transported by the owner to a local pet hospital for evaluation. The smoke and fire caused substantial damage to the contents of the dwelling.
Fire officials determined the fire started due to a malfunction in the hot water heater. The fire was ruled an accident.
