(Danville, Va.) – A house fire gutted a home on West Thomas Street Wednesday afternoon.

Flames and thick black smoke were visible from 320 West Thomas when the first units arrived around 1:20 p.m.

No one was home at the time and the man who rents the house returned to find it on fire. He lost everything in the blaze and is being assisted by the American Red Cross.

Multiple units responded and firefighters had the flames under control within a half hour.

The Danville Fire Marshal says a faulty space heater sparked the blaze.