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Monday morning fire
Firefighters enter a burning duplex apartment, rented by Blair Simmons, on Race Lane in Sylva around 11 a.m. Monday (Dec. 20). Sylva Fire Chief Mike Beck said the blaze was caused by an electric heater left too close to combustible materials in a bedroom. He said the bedroom and hall were "burnt out" with another bedroom also damaged. "They lost everything they had," said Beck, who added the victims are being assisted by the American Red Cross. The adjacent apartment received some smoke damage, Beck said. No one was home when the fire started. It was reported by workers at the construction site for Eckerd's. Those workers managed to save a dog that was trapped in the apartment, Beck said. Fire departments from Balsam and Cullowhee provided mutual aid, and firefighters were on the scene around two hours and 45 minutes, according to Beck. The chief urged everyone to exercise caution in the use of portable heaters. – Herald photo by Derek Hodges
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