Extension cord likely cause of basement fire in Dearborn Heights

Firefighters were called to the 5600 block of Centralia June 6 for a fire in the basement of a house.

Fire Marshall Max Mitts said it appears that "extension cord abuse," may have been the cause of the fire.

The fire started during the school day, with no one at the house, according to Mitts.

"A neighbor said smoke coming from the basement window," he said.

Mitts said the fire department responded quickly and put out the fire. When they got into the basement, a couch was burning near the extension cord.

"It's important to buy an UL rated extension cord designed for what you are using it for," he said. "Don't buy the cheap ones and use them for everything."Mitts said the cord looked like it had been pulled out of a socket many times by "yanking" on the cord, rather than removing it from the wall by the plug, which caused damage to the cord.

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