Awareness of electrical problems may have saved Oakdale-area home from devastating fire

On alert because they’d experienced problems earlier in the day with circuit breakers tripping, residents of a home east of Oakdale detected a small attic fire and called for help before it could spread much.

Stanislaus Consolidated Fire Protection District crews responded to the call in the 12000 block of Rancheria Drive a little after 12:30 a.m. Friday, said Modesto Fire Department Battalion Chief Randy Anderson, who also responded. The first arriving companies found light smoke coming from the attic. A thermal imager showed the heat signature of the fire, and firefighters were able to punch a hole through the ceiling to get to it, he said.

The small electrical fire had burned a section of the ceiling joist and some insulation, Anderson said. He believes the residents were alerted to the fire because an electrical circuit showing problems earlier was again not working.

It’s fortunate they caught the fire early, Anderson said, otherwise damage to the two-story, roughly 4,500-square-foot home could have been much worse. Instead, damage was minimal and the residents were able to stay in the home.

Crews were on the scene for about two hours to ensure the fire was out, he said.

At EnergyToday.biz/blog is an entry that goes into detail about four warning signs a home is in danger of an electrical fire:

▪ Circuit breaker keeps tripping

▪ Persistent burnt smell with no identifiable source

▪ Several discolored or charred outlets and switches

▪ Old, outdated wiring.

The National Association of Realtors’ Houselogic website also has information on finding and preventing electrical fire dangers in a home.

This story was originally published January 6, 2017 at 7:23 AM with the headline "Awareness of electrical problems may have saved Oakdale-area home from devastating fire."