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Fire guts Westminster house

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Contributed by: Westminster Fire Department on 5/24/2006

WESTMINSTER --- Westminster firefighters and police officers responded to a residential structure fire at 11:08 a.m. May 23 in the 11000 block of Otis Street.

The first crew of firefighters arrived within three minutes and saw heavy smoke coming from the back of the house. Firefighters extinguished the fire within 11 minutes.

Fire investigators determined that the fire started in the family room and was electrical in nature. The fire was caused by electrical resistance or arcing in the middle of the halogen floor lamp cord.

This cord was pinched underneath a rocking chair damaging the cord. There were many open windows in the house and a strong breeze caused the fire to spread quickly.

At the time of the fire there was one resident home with her two children and a dog. They were outside in their yard when the resident heard a small explosion.

She ran inside to see what happened and heard her smoke alarms sounding and saw smoke. Immediately, she grabbed her children and the dog and went to the neighbor's house to call 911.

There were no injuries associated with this fire.

Structural damage and content loss is estimated at $250,000.

Many fires can be traced to poor maintenance and misuse of electrical appliances and electric cords. Don't place cords underneath rugs and furniture, and do not run cords behind baseboards, curtains and in high-traffic areas.

Damaged, abused or worn extension cords can pose a major fire hazard. Replace any appliance or tool if it causes even small electrical shocks, overheats, shorts out or gives off smoke or sparks. Be sure all electrical equipment bears the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) label. Additionally, to prevent electrical overloading, avoid using extension cords on a permanent basis and never plug more than two home appliances into an outlet at once.

Electrical wiring defects are a major cause of residential blazes. Check periodically for loose wall receptacles, loose wires, or loose lighting fixtures. Listen for popping or sizzling sounds behind walls. Immediately shut off, then have a professional replace light switches that are hot to the touch and lights that spark and flicker.

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