Overloaded extension cords blamed for fire in downtown Aberdeen building

Nobody was injured in a structure fire on the second floor of the old Rosevear’s Music Center building on the corner of South H and East Wishkah streets in downtown Aberdeen Monday evening.

The fire was reported at 6:30 p.m. Monday by somebody who saw fire in the building’s window from across the street, according to battalion chief Dave Golding.

“A quick-fire attack was performed and the fire was brought under control in just over a half-hour,” he wrote in a news release. “The building received an estimated $4,000 worth of damage. If not for the alertness of the witness reporting the fire, the damage would have been much worse.”

The cause of the fire, which began in an upstairs office, is believed to have been an overload of several extension cords that were connected in a long string.

“Due to the length, number and type of power cords, as well as the electrical load placed on them, one of the cords overheated and ignited,” Golding wrote.

This story was originally published January 23, 2018 at 9:42 AM with the headline "Overloaded extension cords blamed for fire in downtown Aberdeen building."