Ohio Home Burns Down During Bedbugs Treatment

Fire officials in Cincinnati say a two-family home was destroyed when a heater being used to kill bedbugs set a carpet on fire.

The house was being treated Sunday by an exterminator who says he gets rid of the pests by raising a home’s temperature to 135 degrees using propane heaters. Residents are told to leave and remove anything flammable.

Cincinnati Fire District Chief Glenn Coleman says the carpet was ignited by one of six heaters turned on inside the home. The fire went undetected until a neighbor saw smoke pouring from the house.

Exterminator Richard Tyree blames an equipment malfunction for the fire and tells The Cincinnati Enquirer he’s never had a problem before. He says his company has insurance.