RICHMOND —
A 100-year-old home on Main Street in Richmond suffered approximately $20,000 in damage from a Sunday fire.
The fire was reported at 12:35 p.m. and firefighters responded to 536 W. Main St., according to Richmond Fire Chief Buzzy Campbell.
No one was home at the time, and the fire is believed to have been started by a “misused electrical cord,” Campbell said. “The electrical cord was underneath the couch and it was coiled up. Eventually, those cords will heat up enough to cause a fire.”
One room in the home was a total loss and the fire extended out one of the windows and up the side of the home, Campbell said.
“The house was smoked throughout,” he said.
The fire took firefighters about 15 minutes to extinguish, but they were on the scene about two hours “making sure there wasn’t an extension of the fire into the attic or any other parts of the house,” he said.
Sunday fire could be result of arson, burglary
The Kentucky State Police continue an investigation into the burglary and potential arson of a home at 2081 Lancaster Road/KY 52 west of Richmond.
The KSP Post 7 in Richmond was notified Friday at 12:16 p.m. that a residential burglar alarm at the home was sounding.
“Trooper Ken Bradley responded to the home and found smoke and fire visible from the driveway,” said Trooper Paul Blanton, spokesperson for KSP Post 7. “Initial investigation revealed that several items were missing from the home and that the fire may have been intentionally set.”
Members of the Madison County Fire Department returned to the scene Monday to assist in the investigation, said fire chief Jim Cox.
“When we got there (Friday), the front of the house was engulfed with flames,” Cox said. “We were on the scene approximately eight hours.”
When firefighters finally knocked down the burning part in front of the house, they began removing items from the home, which is when the homeowners realized things were missing, he said.
A few of the missing items included a television, video games and possible firearms, Cox said.
“It didn’t burn to the ground, but there’s enough damage that I wouldn’t want to think they would want to rebuilt,” he said.
The investigation will more than likely take a while because samples have to be sent off for testing, Cox said.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the KSP at 623-2404 or 1-800-27ARSON. A reward of up to $1,000 is available.
KSP Arson Investigator Pat Alford has been assigned to the case.
Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 624-6608.
Local News
Two county fires over the weekend
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