The name of a 53-year-old man deputies said died as a result of a house fire in northern Kootenai County was released by the sheriff’s office.

Rodney A. Bitterman died in the Monday fire at a residence about a mile north of Garwood.

The fire was reported at about 7 a.m. when a neighbor reported flames and smoke at a mobile home in the 19000 block of Well Road, south of Ohio Match Road.

At that time, Lt. Ryan Higgins of the sheriff’s office said, “it was unknown if the occupants were out of the residence.”

Deputies and firefighters arrived to a trailer that was fully engulfed, Higgins said.

When firefighters knocked down the flames and searched the residence, they found a man whom deputies said died as a result of the fire.

By Wednesday, fire investigators as well as sheriff’s detectives and state and federal officials were still sifting through debris to determine the cause of the fire.

The fire is among four in Kootenai County since last week.

Although the residents escaped the fire, six dogs inside the home had to be rescued from a fire at 2300 W. Chilco Road, about a mile north of the Well Road fire.

Northern Lakes Fire Chief Pat Riley said it appeared a chimney fire may have engulfed the home, though the official cause remains under investigation.

“When our unit arrived on the scene they found a fully involved structure,” Riley said.

Everyone was accounted for, but six dogs were reported inside the house. At least three of the dogs escaped or were rescued.

“They appeared to be alive and doing well,” he said.

Fire administrators said chimney fires become more common in late fall as fireplaces and wood stoves are used to supplement heat sources. In addition, space heaters come out of the closet and can lead to increased fire risk if left on unattended.

Changing batteries in smoke detectors in the fall is a worthwhile exercise, firefighters said. They advise to sleep with bedroom doors closed.

“That truly will buy you time in a building fire,” Riley said.

Coeur d’Alene firefighters responded to two fires last week, including an exterior building fire at the Shady Lane trailer park south of West Bosanko Avenue, near Fred Meyer, and another fire at Pines Hill Drive, which started when a bucket of ashes from a cleaned-out chimney that had been set outside ignited the side of the home. The flames crawled into the attic.

Assistant Coeur d’Alene Fire Chief Tom Greif said chimney-fire season hasn’t hit the Lake City in earnest — so far.

“Not yet,” Greif said. “We’ll start seeing those when winter kicks in more.”

Greif recommended having chimneys and stove pipes professionally cleaned before using wood stoves and fireplaces.