A mobile-home fire in Columbia Falls on Dawn Drive just after 9 p.m. on Monday caused very little damage, but Columbia Falls Fire Chief Rick Hagen saw the fire as an opportunity to remind people to double- check their heating tape and buy smoke detectors as winter approaches.

Hagen said the fire was ignited in a crawl space by recently applied heating tape used to insulate pipes, but was soon extinguished thanks to the quick work of a Flathead County sheriff’s deputy who arrived on scene and deployed a fire extinguisher. Firefighters mopped up the rest and the homeowners were allowed back in shortly afterward.

Hagen said it is not uncommon to see fires start because of heating tape, although they do not occur as frequently as chimney fires, which also are seasonal concerns. Mobile homes are usually the structures that have heating tape installed.

“It is a good idea to make sure it is installed properly,” Hagen said. “If it’s old, it’s good to get it checked out by an electrician. Make sure there has not been animals chewing on it or other damage done to it.”

Homes with heating tape should definitely be equipped with smoke detectors, Hagen said.

Reporter Megan Strickland may be reached at 758-4459 or by email at mstrickland@dailyinterlake.com.