A City of Harrisonburg home with no working fire detector on Jefferson Street received an estimated $25,000 in damage after a residential fire likely caused by an overloaded circuit and improper wiring.
According to the Harrisonburg Fire Department, the seven adults and one child were able to safely escape the home with their family pet when the fire started upstairs.
The Harrisonburg Fire Department responded just after 7 p.m. on Friday night to the 700 block of Jefferson Street.
There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters.
The HFD was assisted by units from Rockingham County Fire Rescue and the Harrisonburg Rescue Squad.
“The prompt discovery of the fire and calls to 9-1-1 avoided even more serious damage in this case,” said Matthew Tobia, Harrisonburg fire chief. “Functioning smoke alarms are critical in giving people time to escape when a fire is discovered. This could have easily been a much more serious incident if it had occurred during sleeping hours.”
Investigators have determined the fire to be accidental with the cause identified as an electrical malfunction.
Preliminary damage has been set at $25,000.
The residents were offered assistance by the Red Cross but were able to temporarily relocate with other family.
The Red Cross will continue to assist in finding long-term housing for the family.
The fire was placed under control within 30 minutes of dispatch.
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Crystal Graham
