Old Wiring Cause for Early Morning House Fire

No one was injured in an early morning house fire in Port Washington that started because of old wiring in a more than 100-year-old house at about 3 a.m. Thursday morning.

Port Washington Fire Chief Mark Mitchell said a woman in the two-and-a-half story house at 148 N. Park St. woke up to the smell of smoke at about 2 a.m.; she then woke her husband, they got the two kids and got out of the house. Then, they saw the fire and called 911.

The department got the call for the fire at 2:56 a.m. Port Washington police arrived on the scene first, and Mitchell said he was there about 2:59 a.m. Fredonia, Waubeka, Cedarburg, Saukville, Grafton and Belgium responded to the call as well.

Mitchell said the wiring that started the fire was old, though he's not sure whether the wiring that started the fire was original to the house.

The wiring was in the attic, and most of the damage was contained to that area except for some smoke and water damage to other parts of the house. Despite the fact that the damage was mostly contained, Mitchell said the nature of the damage will be expensive to rebuild.

Mitchell also said the department noted that the smoke alarm in the house was not working, adding this is a good reminder to check your batteries and make sure your smoke alarm is in working order.

If the woman hadn't been awakened by the smell of the smoke, "this could have been a great tragedy," he said.