Tortoise heating lamp leads to smoke-filled home in southeast Calgary

A small fire started in southeast Calgary Monday when a heat lamp designed to keep a tortoise warm ignited a carpet.

Calgary — A  heat lamp keeping a tortoise warm caused a small fire in southeast Calgary Monday afternoon.

The incident took place in a townhouse on Queenland Drive S.E., late Monday afternoon around 4:30 p.m., when a heat lamp  inadvertently set the carpet on fire.

The house filled with smoke, which was quickly extinguished.

The fire department was on scene, and brought a kit into the home to deliver oxygen to a dog.

Two cats and the tortoise were all fine. No residents were impacted.

The fire investigator was called in and air quality checked, but overall it was determined that the smoke damage wasn't severe.