An electrical
malfunction is being blamed for an attic fire on Tuesday at 1730 Graham
Drive in Westchester Township, the Chesterton Fire Department is reporting.
No one was injured
in the fire.
Capt. Rudy Jimenez
told the Chesterton Tribune this morning that, at 5:27 p.m., the CFD
responded to the residence following a report of smoke coming from the roof.
Then, while en route, firefighters were advised that smoke was being
observed in the basement of the home.
On their arrival,
firefighters made entry through the interior door of an attached garage and
found themselves in a first-floor living area, where they detected an odor
of smoke but not smoke itself, Jimenez said. A thermal imaging camera,
however, quickly revealed hot spots in the attic above, while firefighters
noticed paint bubbling on the ceiling dry wall.
Firefighters used a
pike pole to pull down segments of the ceiling, which uncovered smoldering
insulation and a “small fire” in a wooden truss, Jimenez said. “There wasn’t
much flame. It was mostly smolder.”
A 2.5-gallon water
can was then used to extinguish the flames.
Investigators
subsequently determined the fire to be electrical in origin and traced it to
a short in a junction box in the attic. Jimenez noted that the homeowner
reported having previously had problems with the box’s power feed. He added
that the smoke observed in the basement of the home had probably been
circulated there via the air conditioning, which was on at the time of the
fire.
Jimenez estimated
damage to the structure at $10,000, saying the truss would need to be
replaced; and that to contents at $5,000.
Also responding to
the scene under automatic aid agreements were the Porter, Liberty Township,
and Beverly Shores FDs as well as the Porter County Sheriff’s Police and
Porter Regional Hospital EMS.
The CFD cleared the
scene at 7:30 p.m.
A Second Fire
One hour later, at
8:28 p.m., the CFD was dispatched to a second residential fire, this one at
308 S. 18th St., after a neighbor reported seeing flames on the side of the
house and thought them to be a brush fire.
On their arrival,
Jimenez said, firefighters discovered that the side of the home had actually
ignited, although the homeowner had quickly managed to smother the fire with
an ABC dry-chemical extinguisher.
Firefighters used
the thermal camera to check for extension and found none, Jimenez said.
Cause of the fire: “some sort of electrical short” in the central
air-conditioning unit.
Jimenez estimated
damage at $1,000, the probable cost of repairing the A/C unit, and noted
that there was no damage to the siding of the home.
The CFD cleared the
scene at 8:51 p.m.