A smoldering suitcase got the attention of Central Whidbey Fire & Rescue and turned into another teaching opportunity for Chief Ed Hartin.

Hartin’s department responded to a reported house fire in Greenbank before dawn Saturday only to find a suitcase left too close to an electric wall heater.

Hartin said the residents acted properly, shutting the door while exiting, which would slow a fire’s progression, and waiting outside with their pets for firefighters to arrive.

Once they did come on to the scene, firefighters found the suitcase’s fabric “decomposing” from the heat but it had not yet ignited.

“It wasn’t a major event. They did the right things,” Hartin said. “Things placed next to electrical heaters have been a cause of multiple fires we’ve had in the district over the years. It’s something to pay attention to.”

One out of five home fire deaths nationally is caused by heating equipment, Hartin said, citing a report from the National Fire Protection Association. Heating equipment ranks as the second leading cause of home fires, according to the association.

Space heaters, including portable heaters and those permanently installed, were involved in five of every six home heating fire deaths and in 16 percent of all home fire deaths.

Later Saturday, Central Whidbey Fire responded to a rear-end vehicle accident on State Highway 20 near the entrance of the Navy’s Outlying Field. A car struck another vehicle that was trying to turn on to Welcher Road.

The accident resulted in the driver of the car that was rear-ended transported by ambulance to Whidbey General Hospital with minor injuries, Hartin said.