Early morning house fire being blamed on boxes too close to a floor furnance

An early morning fire leaves a Tulsa family homeless. The fire broke out around 2:45 AM Monday at Archer and Xanthus. <br><br>Fire officials say the fire was accidental. They say some boxes were stacked

Monday, November 10th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

An early morning fire leaves a Tulsa family homeless. The fire broke out around 2:45 AM Monday at Archer and Xanthus.

Fire officials say the fire was accidental. They say some boxes were stacked on a floor furnace. When the furnace kicked on, the boxes lit up.

Tulsa Fire acting district chief Walter Sunny: â€œthe boxes ignited the sofa next to the floor furnace. The occupants were sleeping, they woke up tried to fight the fire and consequently the male occupant received some burns.â€

The man will be okay. However, the family pet died in the fire. Damage is estimated at about $25,000.

Fire officials remind those with floor furnaces to make sure they leave plenty of clearance.