An electrical fire damaged a home in the Gap Creek community on Thursday morning, but luckily the resident of the home was able to get out safely.
The fire at 1812 Old Gap Creek Road, near the intersection of that road with Chevy Lane, was spotted around 10 a.m. by a passing motorist who called 911.
Margie Ashley, 90, the owner of the house, was at home when the fire happened, but her son was able to safely get her out. She suffered no injuries in the incident, but was checked at the scene by members of the Carter County Rescue Squad as a precaution.
Firefighters with the Hampton and West Carter Volunteer Fire Departments arrived on the scene and were quickly able to extinguish the blaze and preventing it from spreading throughout the home.
The small house suffered heavy smoke damage in the basement area, according to firefighters on scene. While most of the damage was contained to the basement, firefighters said the main part of the home also suffered some minor smoke damage.
The fire was determined to be electrical in nature and appeared to have started around the home’s electrical connection box. The exterior wall around the connection box was visibly burned and scorched. A nearby utility pole connected to the home by a wire also had visible signs of scorching and burning.
A crew with the Elizabethton Electric Department was called to the scene to disconnect the electricity from the home.
Firefighters on scene said the electric workers said the system had been experiencing power surges in the area on Thursday morning. It is not known if the cause of the fire is related to the power surges and the fire is still under investigation by the West Carter Volunteer Fire Department and Carter County Sheriff’s Department.