A burner for liquid fuel has an electric heating device for start up heating a fuel vaporization chamber to a selected temperature, a flame retention baffle being fitted on the vaporization chamber with a temperature sensor sensing temperature of the vaporization. When the vaporization chamber is heated to a desired temperature of about 350 degrees celsius by deflected hot exhaust gas products from the burner operation and such temperature is sensed, the sensor outputs a signal so that the electric heating device can be shut down, vaporization chamber heating then being maintained by the deflected hot exhaust gas flow.