Fire on Elm Street Sparked by Overheated Outlet

A fire Wednesday on Elm Street was caused by an overloaded electrical circuit, according to Asst. Chief Brian Jones of the Community Fire Company of Perryville.

Jones said that the woman who lived in the home called 911 at approximately 12:04 p.m. after she saw fire in the second floor bedroom.

She used a fire extinguisher before evacuating, which "probably kept it from getting worse," Jones said.

The blaze was contained to an outlet in the bedroom, Jones said.

"We opened up the walls around the outlet to make sure it didn't have extension into the rest of the house," Jones told Patch Wednesday evening. "There was light smoke in the rest of the house."

The resident was displaced temporarily.

"They can still live there," Jones said. "They're going to have to do some patches on the wall, [and] right now there's no electric."

Delmarva Power turned electricity off, and more work was needed on the electrical system before restoring power, Jones said.

There was approximately $20,000 to $30,000 in damage, according to Jones, who noted that it was an older home.

Nobody was injured as a result of the fire, Jones said. He added that firefighters from Perryville Fire Company, Perry Point, Water Witch and Susquehanna Hose Company were on the scene, rotating crews and staying hydrated in the 90-plus degree heat.

Firefighters cleared the scene at approximately 1 to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to Jones, who stressed the importance of not overloading electric units now that people are using air conditioners.

The most common areas where electrical fires to start are in the bedroom or lounge areas, according to FEMA.

The U.S. Fire Administration recommends routine inspection, maintenance of appliances like air conditioners and smoke alarm installation to help prevent or reduce damage from electrical fires.