The Steinbach Fire Department was called to a potential structure fire in Giroux at around 8:00 this morning.

After confirmation from thermal imaging cameras, Assitant Fire Chief Russ Reimer indicates that the house itself had not ignited, but that an overheated furnace had melted some wires causing the whole house to fill with smoke. He adds all residents had vacated the home before fire crews arrived.

“I don’t think there will be any lasting smoke damage, comments Reimer, "but obviously the plastic smell is pretty putrid, so it could take a while before that gets out of there.”

Though this type of incident is difficult to prevent, Reimer suggests worried homeowners could do preemptive maintenance checks on their furnaces, before the weather gets too cold, to ensure they are working properly.