Electrical fire damages home on Wallace Avenue

Columbus firefighters are continuing to investigate a fire in a Wallace Avenue home that may have been related to ice storm damage.

Firefighters were sent to 2263 Wallace Ave. at 7:40 a.m. Thursday after a neighbor called 911 and reported seeing smoke coming from the home’s eaves and vents.

The homeowner, Jean Murray, 75, and her sister, left the home after their neighbor, Allen Estes, warned them about the danger, firefighters said.

Murray told firefighters that there was no smoke in the interior of the single-story home and none of her three smoke alarms were sounding.

When firefighters arrived, they did not find fire in the interior, but were directed to an attic access point in a hallway bathroom, said Capt. Mike Wilson, Columbus Fire Department spokesman. After finding a small access door that was too small for a firefighter to enter, firefighters increased the size of the opening to view the attic area and found charring to the wooden wall studs between the kitchen and bathroom walls.

Firefighters used water to cool smoldering insulation and the wooden wall studs, but they did not find flames where they thought the fire had originated, Wilson said.

Estes told firefighters he saw smoke when assessing a power interruption at his own home, when a large tree limb crashed on to the roof of his home, Wilson said. The lights in his home had flickered, and Estes told firefighters he immediately turned off the main power breaker and looked outside.

Several large tree limbs had fallen near his home and one fell on an electric utility line connected to a utility pole at the back of his property, he said. The transformer there appeared to be sparking as well as the electric meter attached to his home, Wilson said. That was when he saw the smoke coming from the Murray home and knocked on her door while calling 911.

Part of the power supply to the Murray home had gone off, Murray told firefighters, but the women never smelled smoke in the home, she said. Firefighters confirmed that all three smoke alarms were working.

The cause of the fire has been listed as undetermined, but firefighters believe electrical factors contributed to the fire, Wilson said. Damages to the home, including the bathroom and the kitchen, are estimated at $15,000.

Murray was making arrangements for shelter through her insurance provider.

No injuries were reported.

During the incident, firefighters noticed a large tree limb had fallen on Murray’s vehicle, Wilson said. Firefighters used a chainsaw to remove the tree limbs from the vehicle before leaving the scene.

For more on this story, see Friday’s Republic.