MADISON, Wis. — An extension cord sparked a brief electrical fire inside a Madison residence Tuesday afternoon.
Officials were sent to a home on the 1800 block of South Thompson Drive at around 2:15 p.m. According to an incident report, a resident said an electrical outlet in their house “began to arc, caught fire and then self-extinguished.”
The crew said there was fire damage to both the outlet and surrounding drywall. Officials checked to see if the fire had spread inside the drywall and confirmed the fire was out.
The resident told officials an extension cord had been used to power a space heater in a different room. Firefighters later saw a small extension cord nearby with a burned end.
The crew determined the power needed for the space heater exceeded the extension cord’s capacity, causing the cord to overheat and trip the breaker.
Officials said the resident was not hurt during the fire, and no one was displaced.
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