Home damaged in Saturday afternoon fire

A Kennewick residence was damaged during a Saturday afternoon fire.

The fire started at roughly 12:30 p.m. at a home in the 1800 block of South Rainier Street.

A resident was using a propane heater in the garage while he worked on a vehicle, Kennewick fire Capt. Nathan Rabe said. He went inside, and when he returned he found the garage on fire.

The residents were able to escape the home, and call 911.

Kennewick firefighters, assisted by Benton and Franklin county fire districts, extinguished the blaze within 30 minutes. Ben Franklin Transit provided a bus to shelter firefighters during health checks.

No one was injured, but the home is not habitable, Rabe said. The residents are staying with friends and family.

The intersection of Rainier Street and 19th Avenue was closed for more than an hour as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.

Rabe advised people to leave enough clearance around space heaters when using them.

This story was originally published December 17, 2016 at 7:52 PM with the headline "Home damaged in Saturday afternoon fire."