Space heater blamed for High Springs house fire

A space heater is being blamed for a Thursday morning house fire that left two children and three adults, including a pregnant woman, homeless. No one was injured.

The fire was reported at 8:50 a.m. on N. Main St. in High Springs.

The fire completely destroyed a 1930s era, two-story, wood frame home with an estimated value of $250,000, according to fire officials.

Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Carol Davis said the pregnant woman was taken to Shands at the University of Florida as a precaution but was not injured. An infant and toddler who had been home with her when the fire broke out were evacuated from the home without incident, along with a woman described as a grandmother and a man also living with the family.

Although a request was made for the State Fire Marshal to investigate the fire, the request was withdrawn, Davis said, once further investigation at the scene showed the space heater was the likely cause of the blaze.