BATON ROUGE - A defective fireplace element caused an accidental house fire Friday afternoon.

St. George Fire Protection District reported Saturday that the fire happened just before 5 p.m. Friday on West Lake Terrace Drive in Baton Rouge.

Crews responded to a reported structure fire and found smoke billowing out of the house. Officials say all residents of the two-story home were outside and safe when crews arrived.

Fire officials say they quickly discovered the source of the blaze in the house's fireplace. Firefighters were able to control the flames in less than 30 minutes, the fire district said.

St. George fire investigators concluded the fire was accidental and sparked by "a defect within the firebox of the fireplace."