FIRE DAMAGES HOUSE IN CITY

Electrical circuits overloaded by air conditioners were the probable cause of a fire Monday that severely damaged the attic of a house at 301 N. Pacific.

The fire, which began in electrical lines in the attic shortly before 2:30 p.m., was apparently the result of overloaded circuits, said city firefighter Mark Hasheider. The three window air conditioners in use in the second-floor apartment may have been contributing factors in overloading the circuits, he said.

Ben Pingel, the resident of the apartment, was asleep at the time the fire began. The sirens from the fire engines woke him up.

The residents of the two other apartments were also unaware of the fire until firefighters knocked on their doors and told them to evacuate. Firefighters were already spraying the building by the time they got out.

It was not determined who made the call to the fire department to tell the department of the house fire.

Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the attic, although the fire department said there was water damage to both the first- and second-floor apartments.