Firefighters were called to the Ryan Street house just before 8am after the heater ignited when it was turned on.

Bendigo senior station officer Mark Nevill said the resident managed to turn the gas off and the fire was out by the time crews arrived.

No damage was done to the house, but it is the second gas heater fire in Bendigo and third heater fire in the region this week.

Country Fire Authority crews were called to a Strathdale home about 8pm on Sunday after a gas heater caught fire; and then to an Axedale house at 9am the following day for a wood heater fire.

Mr Nevill urged people to have gas heaters checked by a licensed plumber once a year.

CFA crews responded to more than 250 heating-related fires in 2016, amounting to 16 per cent of all residential fires for the year statewide.

In the City of Greater Bendigo, firefighters were called to 55 residential fires in 2016, representing an estimated loss of more than $1.2 million.

CFA chief officer Steve Warrington said winter was a traditionally busy time for firefighters.

“There is a perception in the community that the majority of fires tend to happen in summer, but this simply isn’t the case,” he said.

“As the weather cools down, people bring out their heaters, turn on their electric blankets and stoke up their wood fires. This means we see a spike in heating related fires.”

Mr Warrington said small safety precautions could be the difference between life and death. 

To find out more about preventable house fires and how to avoid them, visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/fires-in-the-home.