Electrical short damages Eldorado home

Eldorado firefighters extinguished an electrical fire in a house at 917 Madison St. during the early morning hours Tuesday.

Firefighters received the call at 1:28 a.m. to the Bud Wiseman family residence. All family members were out of the house and safe, Chief Mike McKinnies said. Firefighters were on the scene about two hours.

"It started in the back porch above the ceiling and got into the attic. We had to rip back a quarter of the roof off," McKinnies said.

McKinnies said the fire likely originated with a bad electrical connection - wires were twisted together in the ceiling with no junction box. The electrical wires were carrying a heavy load as the family was running electrical heaters in the living room.

Damage was significant. McKinnies said the family have other family members in town they are staying with.

McKinnies is concerned about heating related fires during Wednesday night's predicted sub-zero wind chill.

"The colder it gets the more electricity gets used and more we stoke the fire," McKinnies said.

Eighteen firefighters, two engines and a service company responded.