ST. GEORGE – The St. George Fire Department responded to a fire at the corner of Centennial Road and 1720 North Street Thursday evening after the homeowners called 911 about smoke in their home.
St. George Fire Capt. Robert Hooper said the initial call to the St. George Communications Center came in at 5:37 p.m., Thursday, and firefighters were dispatched to the scene.
“Our crews arrived and found light smoke in the house,” Hooper said. Further investigation found the smoke to be coming from within the wall. “We cut through the wall … there was a fire in the wall,” he said.
It took firefighters between five and seven minutes to cut through the stucco, wire mesh and insulation in the wall. When they reached the fire it took just a couple of minutes to put it out, Hooper said.
The wire supplying power to the air-conditioning unit by the home appeared to have grounded out, possibly due to faulty wiring, or overheating.
“It’s been so hot that air-conditioner units are running 24-7,” Hooper said. “We’ve actually had a few fires similar to this – power units overheating, smoking and causing problems.”
A similar incident had actually occurred in Bloomington earlier that morning.
Hooper added that a way to prevent air-conditioner fires is to have the units serviced and checked regularly, especially if you think something may not be working right.
Overall damage to the home was minimal, though some smoke damage did occur as smoke went throughout the house. The bulk of the damage is isolated to a 3 foot-by-3 foot area where firefighters had to cut out the wall.
No injuries were reported.
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Firefighters mop up after extinguishing a house fire at 1720 North Street and Centennial Road triggered by a power wire feeding air conditioning unit, St. George, Utah, July 18, 2013 | Photo by More Kessler, St. George News
Firefighters mop up after extinguishing a house fire at 1720 North Street and Centennial Road triggered by a power wire feeding air conditioning unit, St. George, Utah, July 18, 2013 | Photo by More Kessler, St. George News
Firefighters mop up after extinguishing a house fire at 1720 North Street and Centennial Road triggered by a power wire feeding air conditioning unit, St. George, Utah, July 18, 2013 | Photo by More Kessler, St. George News
Firefighters mop up after extinguishing a house fire at 1720 North Street and Centennial Road triggered by a power wire feeding air conditioning unit, St. George, Utah, July 18, 2013 | Photo by More Kessler, St. George News
Firefighters mop up after extinguishing a house fire at 1720 North Street and Centennial Road triggered by a power wire feeding air conditioning unit, St. George, Utah, July 18, 2013 | Photo by More Kessler, St. George News
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