Hutchinson News – January 6, 2014
Fire officials have determined the blaze that destroyed a South Hutchinson home early Saturday was set by accident.
South Hutchinson Fire Chief Mike Patterson confirmed the fire that started about 4 a.m. Saturday at 56 Morningside was accidentally set by one of the family members living there. A mother and her three young children lived in the home and were able to escape injury, he said.
Patterson would not elaborate on how the fire started other than to say it was accidental. He did say the blaze started in a southwest bedroom on the first floor of the two-story home.
The house was in flames when firefighters arrived, and nine firefighters remained on scene for about seven hours. The home was a complete loss, as the blaze caused $65,000 in damage, according to Patterson. It also damaged siding on a neighboring home at 58 Morningside, along with a vehicle.
The home was owned by the children’s grandmother in South Hutchinson, where the family is now staying, Patterson said.
The Reno County Sheriff’s Office and the South Hutchinson Police Department will conduct a routine follow-up investigation today, since the South Hutchinson Fire Department does not have a fire investigator, Patterson said.
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