A fire possibly caused by faulty wiring heavily damaged a house at 314 N. Fourth St. Wednesday.
The fire mostly stayed to the rear porch area, though there was some
minor damage to the door on the inside and smoke damage to the rest of the house, according to Arkansas City Fire Chief Randy Leach.
"(We) believe it was started by some faulty wiring," said Leach.
There were "several circuits running of off one 50 amp breaker," The breaker didn't trip, which caused the wires to
slowly heat up until the materials around the breaker caught fire.
Fortunately there was no one inside.
Matilda Barron lived at the home with her six children, who were at school.
The fire didn't pose much of a danger to other homes in the area,
according to Leach. "We're lucky that someone saw it soon," said
Leach, "there were some concerns about the high winds that day the fire department was able to get the fire under control quickly."
The fire was called in at 11:53 a.m., the first fire department unit
arrived at 11:55 a.m., and the fire was contained by 11:59 a.m. The
Salvation Army and the Red Cross were also involved to help the
family; the fire rendered the house unlivable.
According to Leach the fire serves as a good reminder of the
importance of home inspections, especially when a home is being
purchased.
"Don't be afraid to call the city or maybe the fire department to do an inspection for you," Leach said. "If it was looked at by a home inspector it probably would have been caught."
