The owner of a house at 317 Locust St. awoke shortly before 3:48 a.m. Saturday when his smoke detector went off. Great Bend Fire Chief Mike Napolitano said the man, Jesus Hernandez, went to the back bedroom where the smoke detector was located and found light smoke in the bedroom. He also saw the electrical outlet was charred and burning and had caused the bedding next to the outlet to smolder.
Hernandez and two young children safely exited the house.
Napolitano said the estimated $1,500 damage could have been much worse if not for the working smoke detector.
“We investigated and determined the fire had been started by a bed frame rubbing against the AC cord and the outlet,” Napolitano reported Monday. “The fact they were awakened by the smoke detector was a good thing.”
Firefighters also responded to a car fire at 4:17 p.m. Monday at Barton Community College. They arrived to find a four-door car with smoke coming from the passenger compartment. Fire damage was confined to the front passenger seat, but there was smoke damage throughout the vehicle.
“The cause of the fire was undetermined as we are unable to eliminate a malfunction of the electrical system,” Napolitano said. “Loss is estimated at $3,000.”