[Press Release] : Fire at house on Providence slows morning commute

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Battalion Chief Gary L. Warren, Jr. - (573) 499-7035

Fire at house on Providence slows morning commute

COLUMBIA, MO (June 3, 2008) - Firefighters responded to a residential
structure fire at 409 Providence Road North around 6:30 a.m. and shut
down one of the southbound lanes for just over an hour this morning.

Prior to the fire, Mareta Hatton and Sergio Turner were awakened by the
sound of arcing lines at the rear of the residence. Hatton called 9-1-1
from her cell phone after Turner reported seeing and hearing the lines
arcing and popping.

Firefighters arrived within four minutes to find light smoke and a
burning smell. Further investigation revealed a small fire above the
cabinets near the sink. Firefighters used very little water to
extinguish a notebook (laying near a junction box above the cabinets)
that had caught fire as a result of an electrical surge. The electrical
surge resulted from a tree branch that fell on the power line to the
residence, pulling it away from the house and causing arcing.

Although a working smoke detector was present it did not play a role in
initially alerting the residents as there was not enough smoke to
activate it.

Fire Investigators have set the initial damage estimate at $5,000.

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