Salem firemen pull smoke out of the Rachel Roddy home on North Illinois Street as they continued to search the attic area for a smoldering electrical fire Tuesday night. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
A smoldering fire at a home at 817 North Illinois in Salem is being blamed on an electrical system problem.
Salem Fire Protection District Chief Dave Duncan says the homeowner Rachel Roddy called the department after smoke began filling the home around 8:30 Tuesday night.
“Looks like we have an electrical short. The old knob and tube style wiring that’s pretty antiquated stuff that has created a smoldering fire in some blown-in insulation in the attic above the kitchen. The resident first noticed a sound she described it sounded like mice in the ceiling. I suspect that was probably the fire charring one of the roof rafters up there is what she heard.”
Firefighters pulled down the ceiling tile and removed some of the blown-in insulation above the kitchen to reach the smoldering fire. The fire was extinguished and the power turned off until repairs could be made to the electrical system. Odin Firemen responded with automatic mutual aid. The fire was one of three Salem firemen responded following the large fire that destroyed one home and heavily damaged a second on North Shelby Street early Tuesday morning.
Firemen were called to a combine fire on the Telford Farms at 3821 Selmaville Road Tuesday afternoon. There was no significant damage to the combine. About a half-acre of soybean stubble also burned, but caused no damage.
Firemen also responded to the Interstate 57 southbound exit ramp from the rest area where a semi truck’s brakes overheated and caught fire. The fire spread to the rear of the semi and also burned some of the plastic straws that were being transported. The driver of the truck is identified as Andre Krylou of Chicago.
Salem and Odin Firemen wait outside the Rachel Roddy home on North Illinois Street Tuesday night as a search is underway for a smoldering electrical fire in the attic. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
