Heat lamp for chickens responsible for fire that destroyed Helena firefighter's home

A heat lamp warming baby chicks was the cause of a house fire Thursday that destroyed the home of a Helena Fire Department firefighter, according to a local fire chief.

The fire started around noon in the garage of the home on Divine Drive and quickly overtook the structure stoked by high winds.

“It’s kind of becoming a problem,” said Willy Wegner, East Valley Volunteer Fire Department chief. “A couple weeks ago one of the neighboring departments had something very similar happen, but thankfully it never extended to the structure.”

This time of year, many folks are incubating baby chicks. To prevent heat lamp-related fires, Wegner is reminding people to have the lamp highly secured and separated from animals.

Wegner said when firefighters responded Thursday, the high winds severely hampered their suppression efforts. At the time, winds were gusting around 40 mph.

Firefighters focused on keeping a 1,000-gallon propane tank near the house cooled down “to keep it from causing bigger issues,” Wegner said.

Firefighters from East Valley Volunteer Fire Department, West Valley Volunteer Fire Department, Tri-Lake Volunteer Fire Department, Montana City Volunteer Fire Department and city of Helena Fire Department responded to the scene.

“It hits hard,” Wegner said about another firefighter losing their home. “Because you know them and it makes it a little more difficult for all of us.”

The local Helena firefighter union posted on Facebook Thursday asking for support and donations for the family.

"One of Helena Firefighters IAFF Local 448’s own members were devastated by the loss of their home from a structure fire," the Facebook post reads. "Fortunately, everyone made it out and is safe. However, nearly everything was lost in the fire."

The city of Helena echoed the sentiment in its own social media post.

"We are so grateful for the outpouring of community support for this employee and his family," it read. "Thank you, Helena!"

If you wish to help the family, monetary donations will be accepted through the union's financial fund: Helena Firefighters Benevolent Fund, 300 Neill Ave., Helena, MT 59601.