A two-alarm fire that damaged a home near Stanford University on Sunday, Dec. 23, may have been caused by a floor heater malfunction, according to the Palo Alto Fire Department.

Firefighters responded to a 5:02 p.m. report of house fire in the 2100 block of Yale Avenue, a block west of El Camino Real. The blaze was reported by a neighbor who had seen smoke spewing from a vent, fire officials said.

When crews entered the 900-square-foot home, they saw flames in the living room and upgraded the response to two alarms, calling in crews from Mountain View, according to the fire department.

The flames were extinguished, and the home, which was unoccupied at the time of the fire, sustained extensive smoke damage with fire damage confined to the living room, officials said.

No one was injured, and the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the American Red Cross provided assistance to the lone resident of the home, officials said.

The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, but it may have been sparked by a floor heater, according to the fire department.

Fire officials said the incident should serve as a reminder to residents to have their floor heaters serviced and to keep them away from any combustible debris.

— Bay City News Service

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