Space heater blamed for North Bergen fire

NORTH BERGEN (WABC) -- A four-alarm fire burned through a three story building in North Bergen, New Jersey.

Heavy smoke and fire could be seen spewing from the building on Broadway in North Bergen.

Flames broke out shortly after 1:00 p.m. on the second floor and quickly spread through numerous stores on the first floor and into the apartments above.

The fire appears to have been caused by a space heater in a second floor apartment.

The residents of that apartment told police that the fire started in the space heater, and quickly spread through the apartment.

They evacuated as quickly as they could.

Fire marshals plan to investigate, but they haven't been able to get inside the building yet, and may not because it's in danger of collapsing.

Firefighters responded to reports of residents trapped on the upper floors.

Three firefighters and two civilians were injured.

None of the injuries are life threatening.

There were still hot spots being put out late Wednesday night. Nine families were left homeless by the blaze.

See images from the scene

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Dyson space heater put to the test

  Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- Dyson put style into household appliances, first with its vacuums and then with its fans. Now it's promoting a cool-looking space heater that Consumer Reports just tested.

The video spot for the Dyson Hot space heater sounds good and the Dyson Hot sure looks good.

"What's not so hot about the Dyson is its price. At 400 dollars, it's one of the most expensive space heaters we've ever tested," Bernie Deitrick of Consumer Reports said.

So how did the Dyson Hot do in Consumer Reports labs? It passed this important safety test. A terry cloth is placed on the heater to see if it scorches or catches fire.

"The surface of the Dyson doesn't get so hot that you can't touch it. So that's not a safety risk," Deitrick said.

And it's got another important safety feature. It shuts off if it's tipped over.

But the remote presents a safety risk to young children. It has a small button-cell battery that's easily accessible and hazardous if swallowed.

"If you have young children, you should make sure that the remote is kept out of their reach," Deitrick explained.

You can operate the space heater without the remote. This test assesses how evenly space heaters distribute heat. Sensors measure the temperature in different parts of the room. The Dyson Hot did an excellent job. But it didn't score well for noise.

"At its highest fan setting, the Dyson is one of the loudest space heaters we've ever tested," he said.

Instead, Consumer Reports says a better choice is this Vornado space heater. It's the TouchStone 500 Vortex Heat for 120 dollars. Even on high, it's not very noisy.

Whatever space heater you use, Consumer Reports says you won't see savings unless you turn down the heat in the rest of your house. And never leave a space heater unattended - that's a safety hazard.

Discover more at ConsumerReports.org.

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