Fairbury House Fire Caused By Electrical Failure

A house fire that destroyed a two-story home Wednesday night, November 19, was caused by an electrical system failure. The house’s lone occupant was able to escape the conflagration and was unharmed. Fairbury Rural Fire was paged out to a report of a fully involved residential structure fire near 7th and J Streets in Fairbury. Jansen Rural Fire was also requested per an automatic mutual aid agreement. Firefighters arrived to find a two-story residential structure with heavy fire involvement on the rear exterior and multiple interior rooms. Due to the extent of the fire and potential structural compromise, a defensive attack was initiated. Aerial operations were set up on 7th Street, with hand lines deployed from a second engine on J Street.Within 10 minutes of fire department arrival, the roof structure collapsed into the house. Due to high water requirements and supply concerns, a third fire engine with a portable tank was set up in a relay operation to supply additional water to the aerial apparatus; three water tenders shuttled water to the portable tank. The fire was initially knocked down within 30 minutes of arrival, but due to the structural collapse of the roof and the second story floor, fire crews were unable to reach fire within the center of the structure. After multiple attempts to gain access without entering the structure, Incident command made the call to the City of Fairbury and requested an excavator be brought in to open up the structure so fire crews could safely gain access to the interior fire and other hot spots. Ultimately, the entire structure was taken down to gain total access and alleviate safety concerns regarding further structural collapse.Investigators from Fairbury Rural Fire Department and the Nebraska State Fire Marshal’s Office found the cause to be a failure of the electrical system in the wall of the house. There were approximately 25 firefighters on scene to extinguish the fire and provide support on the fireground. The City of Fairbury Electric and Water departments were on scene to assist with controlling utilities. The City of Fairbury Street and Alley Department provided an excavator and manpower to assist with suppression efforts. Jefferson County Ambulance District 33 provided EMS and firefighter rehabilitation services. Traffic Control was provided by Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.No injuries to firefighters or members of the public. The sole occupant of the building at the time was Ken Weichel, age 79, who was unharmed but, according to friends and family, lost everything in the fire. All proceeds from the Faith Lutheran Church Soup Supper on Wednesday, November 26, will be donated to Weichel. A Go Fund me page to collect donations has also been established.Fire Chief Judd Stewart told FJN, “This is a good reminder to our community that as we approach cold weather, heating equipment is the second leading cause of home fires in the United States. More than 65,000 home fires are attributed to heating equipment each year. These fires result in hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries and millions of dollars in property damage. According to the National Fire Protection Association, two in five deaths in space heater fires involve portable electric space heaters. It’s not safe to use electrical heaters as a primary heat source.”If you are using an electrical space heater for supplemental heat, please remember these important safety tips: Purchase a heater with the seal of a qualified testing laboratory. Keep the heater at least three feet away from anything that can burn, including people. Choose a heater with a thermostat and overheat protection. Place the heater on a solid, flat surface. Make sure your heater has an auto shut-off to turn the heater off if it tips over. Keep space heaters out of the way of foot traffic. Never block an exit. Keep children away from the space heater. Plug the heater directly into the wall outlet. Never use an extension cord. Space heaters should be turned off and unplugged when you leave the room or go to bed.

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