SCHENECTADY — Herbert Smalls tried to save some money on gasoline and nearly burned down his apartment early Monday morning.

The lesson, city fire officials said, is not to store gasoline inside your house or vehicle, but to store it in a well-ventilated area using a proper container.

Smalls, of 1325 8th Ave., who does a lot of traveling, purchased 20 gallons of gasoline for $3.93 per gallon at a sale two weeks ago at the Hess Mart on Route 50 in Glenville.

He stored the gas in the apartment’s basement in plastic containers. Fumes leaked from the containers and over time filled the basement. A pilot light from a basement heater ignited the fumes and they whooshed into an intense ball of flame, said Deputy Schenectady Fire Chief Mark Fragomeni.

The heat was so intense it melted solder in overhead basement copper pipes, and the leaking water helped contain the fire, Fragomeni said.

Firefighters took about an hour to douse the flames, which damaged the basement and resulted in some water damage to the house. Officials turned off the house’s power and natural gas and said the wiring is being repaired. The Red Cross is providing temporary shelter to Smalls and his wife and a third tenant of the house, Fragomeni said.

Smoke alarms on the upper floors alerted the sleeping tenants and all escaped unharmed, Fragomeni said.

It could have been worse. The house could have exploded, Fragomeni said.

The heat source ignited the gasoline fumes before they could fill the basement and travel to the upper floors. There, another heat source could have ignited the fumes, causing an explosion, he said. The 11⁄2-story house contains a natural gas stove on the first floor with a pilot light.

City codes prevent the storage of gasoline inside a dwelling, Fragomeni said. “It should be stored in an airtight container outside,” he said.

Gasoline expands when it gets warm and the commonplace plastic gasoline containers do not properly contain the fumes, Fragomeni said. “Eventually the fumes escape,” he said. Metal cans with spring loads are better at containing the fumes, he added.

Fragomeni said Smalls will not be cited for the fire. “This is an accident. He did not know this was a problem.”

Betty Murphy, of 1416 Glenwood Blvd., owns the 8th Avenue house, Fragomeni said.