HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Luckily, no one was injured from a structure fire Friday evening on Hutchinson’s north side.
It occurred around 5:10 p.m., when Hutchinson Fire units responded to the 3300 block of Farmington Rd., for the report of a structure fire. When they arrived, the discovered the fire at the rear of the house. Further investigation revealed the fire to be electrical in nature. After pulling the electrical meter the aluminum siding was still energized.
Crews held the fire in check with a dry powder fire extinguisher until Westar Energy arrived and disconnected the electric.
The fire took 40-minutes to completely extinguish due to the electrical issue.
The residence was occupied by a family pet at the time of the fire, but was removed by a neighbor prior to fire department arrival.
Investigation revealed an electrical short in the exterior electric panel was the cause of the fire. Preliminary damage was estimated at $14,000 with damaged sustained to most of the electrical system.