Firemen contain house fire

Quick action by the Clarendon Volunteer Fire Department saved a local residence from destruction Monday night.

Officials say an electrical extension cord is the cause of the blaze at the Jim Thornton residence located at 518 W. Third.

The house was reported to be on fire about 8:17 p.m., and firemen were on the scene within about five minutes and could see fire through a window on the northeast corner of the home.

Firemen attacked the blaze through the window and through the front door. A ventilation team accessed the roof and removed three small windows. A two-man team entered the home and directly attacked and quickly suppressed the fire in a bedroom located just north of the living room area in the northeast part of the house. The fire was contained to that room.

Clarendon Fire Chief Jeremy Powell said the moderate to heavy smoke and heat damage was suffered throughout the home and said fire crews remained on the scene until 10:45 p.m. continuing ventilation and mop-up.

The investigation of the bedroom showed the fire to have been caused by an electrical short, Powell said. A power strip being supplied power by a 12-gauge orange extension cord was in the corner of the room and plugged into this were a cell phone charger, an alarm clock, and another extension cord running to a small evaporative air conditioner. The extension cord to the air conditioner was shorted about four inches from the plug into the power strip.

“The baseboard is burned and n obvious V pattern is present,” Powell said.

Eighteen firemen and seven CVFD trucks responded to the fire, and the home was insured.