It's been cold outside, so people are trying to keep warm inside. But fire officials say it can be dangerous. Luckily, everyone in these overnight fires was able to escape -- except for a couple of pets.
The first blaze started around 11:15pm on East Witcher Lane at Nordling Road in north Houston. Officials said a man was home with two puppies, a cat and two parakeets.
He woke up to a loud sound of popping and found his bedroom was on fire. He tried to put out the flames, but it kept getting worse.
One puppy and a parakeet died.
The man escaped with the other puppy, parakeet and cat, who all survived.
Fire investigators believe a space heater in the bedroom caused the fire, which was contained to the bedroom. The man lived by himself.
The second fire started about 15 minutes later on Brenda Lane at Memorial Glen where officials said a mother, uncle, four children and a dog were inside.
It's believed that a space heater caused the fire in the uncle's bedroom, authorities said.
The uncle woke up the mother and got the kids outside, along with the dog.
No one was hurt.
Firefighters urge everyone to use caution when heating their homes. Click here for heating safety tips from HFD.
Take ABC13 with you!
Download our free apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices
