ST. LOUIS – A space heater could be the source of an overnight fire that destroyed a north St. Louis house.

Firefighters and others are on a mission to prevent fires like this from happening during the remaining winter weeks. St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson says the freezing temperatures have affected firefighters but adds that’s what first responders signed up to do—to protect and serve no matter the weather.

Meanwhile, authorities are warning residents about the dangers of using space heaters.

The St. Louis Fire Department was very busy early Tuesday morning, battling the bitter cold and several fires, including a house fire in the 3900 block of Cote Brilliante around 2 a.m. in the city’s Greater Ville neighborhood.

“Everything we do becomes more dangerous. Just trying to operate around a fire scene with the streets being frozen, ice everywhere, different levels of snowpack,” Jenkerson said. “Being in St. Louis, we do this every year. Our guys are ready for it. You know, they dress appropriately. And it doesn’t just mean more coats, more jackets.”

This morning’s frigid temperatures were made worse by the firefighters having to use a lot of water to put the flames out.

“People’s sidewalks are still full of ice. Something as simple as getting to the fire with the way these trucks move, it takes time,” Jenkerson said.

According to the homeowner, she was sleeping when the fire started. Her adult son was asleep in another room and the family’s dog was in the house as well.

The homeowner says the fire alarm woke her up and she came out of her room to find smoke in the house. She woke her son up and they both escaped with the dog.

Fortunately, no one was injured.

The folks at Heat Up St. Louis, an organization that raises money to help people pay their heating bills, recognize that space heaters are a leading cause of house fires.

“It costs more money to run that heater than to have gotten their gas turned on. So, we worry about those issues for both Ameren and for both Spire customers,” Gentry Trotter, the founder of Heat Up/Cool Down St. Louis, said. “We say check on the elderly and disabled, where they think the heaters are fine. But remember, they have balancing problems, especially seniors and the physically disabled, and they can easily knock over a heater.”