An aquarium heater caused a fire when it was left switched on in an empty tank.
The fire spread to curtains and other materials and caused smoke damage to the downstairs storage room at the residence in San Rafael, California. One of three aquariums in storage was also damaged.
According to the report on abc7 News, the homeowner had fortunately smelled the smoke when the fire occurred at around 5.50am on Tuesday morning, and was able to extinguish the flames before the fire services arrived.
The total damage to property is estimated to be around $1000. There were no injuries.