Yellowknife (Mar 18/05) - A kerosene heater that caught fire in a Range Lake home at about 4 p.m. Wednesday caused an estimated $75,000 in smoke damage.

The owner of the mobile home at 5 Bagon Drive was out of the territory long enough for the furnace to quit, and the pipes to freeze, deputy fire chief Darcy Hernblad said.

Upon his return, he purchased the kerosene heater to thaw the frozen pipes.

"He looked back about five minutes later and it was on fire," said Hernblad. Hernblad said the fire may have begun with a small fuel spill.

"Structurally, it's fine, but the house took extensive smoke damage," he said.

A new compressed air foam and water system used by the department helped reduce the amount of damage, he said.