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Construction light blamed for house fire

Nelson Fire and Rescue made short work of a house fire Sunday night.

Nelson Fire and Rescue made short work of a house fire Sunday night.

Deputy chief Bob Slade says the blaze broke out around 8:30 p.m. in the upper unit of a Cedar Street duplex, which was under renovation.

The downstairs tenant smelled smoke and escaped unharmed.

Slade says the cause appears to have been a construction light that fell over.

“There was no shield protecting the light so the very flat front glass was able to lay face down, which eventually brought the floor temperature up to ignition point and burned through the floor into the suite below,” he says.

Quick work by firefighters put the blaze out and minimized damage, which is estimated at between $2,000 and $5,000.

Five firefighters were on scene for about three hours. No one was hurt.

Slade says it wouldn’t have been apparent the light was still on since it was face down. “When they looked around the room, everything would have been dark. It’s the equivalent of a burner on a stove.”

He says it’s a good reminder when doing renos to make sure electrical appliances are disconnected when you leave the scene, and also to ensure that materials are put away and not left strewn about.