Firefighters say a malfunctioning wall heater sparked an apartment fire in Santa Barbara on Thursday.
The fire broke out at around 5:25 a.m. in a second story apartment on West Arrellaga Street between Chapala and State streets.
Just after firefighters arrived at the scene, the front window of the apartment blew out, according to the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.
It took crews about 15 minutes to control the flames.
Two people were inside the apartment when the fire broke out but were not hurt.
Fire officials say a downstairs apartment sustained water damage and there was heavy smoke damage to the upstairs walkway.
Damage is estimated at $250,000.
