Oct 27, 2016 2 min read

The South Franklin Township fire chief said the cause of a fire that heavily damaged a home Wednesday night was ruled electrical in origin by the state police fire marshal and started in the basement of the residence.

Fire Chief Fred Hutson said Thursday that firefighters were called abut 8:10 p.m. to the home of Nathan Cale, 1215 Bordeaux Drive.

Hutson said Cale, his wife and their dog had just returned home.

“They couldn’t open the garage with the remote, so his wife went to the front door,” Hutson said. “When she opened it, smoke came rolling out.”

The fire burned up through the stairwell. Hutson said two rooms on the first floor as well as the basement were damaged by the fire with smoke and water damage to the rest of the house.

“The fire had probably been burning awhile,” he said. “But we were able to get it knocked down quickly. We had enough water supply and plenty of manpower.”

He said firefighters remained on the scene for several hours, clearing smoke from the residence and checking for hot spots.

The Cale family is staying with relatives who live in the area, Hutson said, adding that the house is not habitable.

No injuries were reported.

Assisting at the scene were firefighters from Morris and North Franklin townships and Claysville.

Ambulance and Chair Service was also at the scene.