COLUMBIA — Clothing left too close to a water heater started a fire that caused nearly $10,000 in damage to a Columbia residence at 1110 W. Worley St. on Monday morning, Columbia Fire Department spokesman Steven Sapp said.
The fire spread from the utility room to a bedroom, but residents Arthur and Deanna Trass escaped after they were alerted by smoke detectors, Sapp said.
The Fire Department received a call about the fire at 7:16 a.m. Firefighters arrived and extinguished the fire in less than 10 minutes, Sapp said.