A faulty space heater is blamed for an apartment fire on St. Joseph Ave. Thursday that caused tens of thousands of dollars in damage and left five people without a home.

As we reported earlier, the St. Joseph Fire Department responded Thursday afternoon to a house with four apartments at 4104 St. Joseph Avenue.

Fire Inspector Steve Henrichson says fire burned from one end to the other of an apartment on the first floor. The apartment above that had some smoke and plumbing damage. He says the smoke traveled up the wall and into the attic. Henrichson says the other two apartments were “pretty much untouched.”

The fire complicated traffic on the Avenue right as the nearby Robidoux Middle School was letting out students for the day. St. Joseph police directed traffic, as just one lane of roadway had to serve both directions of travel.

The American Red Cross was called in to help five people living in the burned-out apartment, which Henrichson says will need a major rehab. He estimated fire damage at about $40,000. There were no injuries reported.