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At 5:31 PM on Sunday, January 3, Duluth Firefighters responded to a 911 call for a structure fire at 3523 E 4th St in the Hidden Valley area of Duluth.  Initial arriving crews reported a fire in an enclosed porch of the two story home.  A fire attack was made from the front of the house and the fire was knocked down by the first in engine company.  Ventilation was set up to clear the smoke from the house and the smouldering debris was removed from the porch to outside of the house.

The homeowner had discovered the fire and threw a bucket of water on it before exiting the home.  He was able to knock down the main body of the fire but it did continue to smoulder and burn inside of a wood pile and a couch, both located in the porch.

The damage from the fire included destruction of the contents of the porch and heavy heat damage throughout the porch area.  Smoke entered into the remainder of the house and caused moderate to light smoke damage throughout the house.  Damage is estimated at $15,000 for the building and $10,000 for the contents.  The occupants will not be able to spend the night in the home due to smoke damage and odor.

The fire was accidental and caused by storage being too close to an electric baseboard heater.  The heater was thought to be turned off but was in fact functioning at the time of the fire.