Faulty wiring caused a house fire that left eight people homeless this week near Goleta, according to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
No one was injured in the blaze, which was reported about 4 a.m. Monday at a two-story residence in the 700 block of Ribera Drive, said Capt. David Sadecki.
The house is near Foothill Elementary School in an unincorporated area of the county off Cathedral Oaks Road.
Investigators determined that the fire was caused by “an improper wiring technique by the tenant of an electric wall heater,” Sadecki said.
The first firefighters to arrive at the scene found heavy flames erupting from the garage area at the front of the house, Sadecki said.
Although the fire quickly spread to the second floor, crews had the blaze knocked down 50 minutes later, he said.
Sadecki noted that the home did not have working smoke detectors.
The American Red Cross Santa Barbara County assisted the displaced residents in finding alternate housing.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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