HFD

At 5:13 a.m. Sunday, City of Hays emergency dispatchers were alerted to a building fire at 2900 Roosevelt Avenue. The City of Hays Fire Department, assisted by Ellis County Fire Department Company 5, the City of Hays Police Department and Ellis County EMS, was immediately dispatched.

First-arriving police officers reported a fire in the basement of an occupied single-family dwelling and that all of the occupants had evacuated the building.

Firefighters used three hose lines supplied by two fire hydrants to control the fire and stop the fire from spreading up into the first floor of the house. Ellis County EMS paramedics checked the occupants for injuries. One occupant had minor injuries but declined further treatment. Midwest Energy crews cut electric and gas service to the building.

The building was home to a family of six. One occupant was awakened by his bedding on fire. He quickly alerted other family members to the danger. The basement suffered significant fire damage. The remainder of the house had smoke and minor water damage. To prevent freeze damage, firefighters shut off water and drained pipes. Firefighters also coved burned out window openings to protect the property after the fire.

The most probable cause of the fire was the failure of an extension cord powering an electric blanket in a basement bedroom.

The fire was reported by a neighbor as well as the home security alarm company.

Twenty-four firefighters staffing six fire trucks responded. The last fire crews left the scene at 7:14 AM.

City of Hays firefighters would like to remind everyone to carefully check extension cords both before and during use. Do not use extension cords that are damaged. Avoid placing extension cords under rugs or in areas where they can be pinched by doors, furniture, etc. Be sure the extension cord is large enough for the power load. If an extension cord is warm to the touch it may be too small for the amount of electricity being used. It is best to power only one device by an extension cord.