Amarillo House Fire On Madison Sparked By Bathroom Ceiling Fan

This morning, Tuesday April 30th, at approximately 7:30am, the Amarillo Fire Department responded to a house or "structure fire" in the 1600 block of S. Madison in Amarillo.

Firefighters arrived on scene and found a quadro-plex, a 4 unit house complex, on fire and were able to contain the fire quickly.

What caused the fire?  Something that I bet we all use everyday of our lives!  It was the light/exhaust fan that was mounted in the bathroom ceiling!

Pro News 7 reports:

"The fire started where an exhaust fan light was installed in a bathroom ceiling. Firefighters were able to quickly contain the fire. The attic received fire damage and the rest of the building received light smoke damage.

The fire was ruled as an accident by Amarillo Fire Marshals. There were no injuries reported.

Volunteers with the American Red Cross are working with those affected by the fire to determine their needs.

AFD Fire Marshals estimate the property damage at $35,000.00."

If you would like to help out those affected by the fire in their time of need, contact your local Red Cross - Amarillo at the button below.

The good news, there were no injuries, the bad news, I don't know if I can trust the light/exhaust fan that's in my bathroom anymore!  I love that thing!  It sucks the steam from the shower out so the mirror isn't all fogged up and it's a great positioned light so I have plenty of light in the bathroom!

I think the lesson we should take here is, check the batteries in your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors!  If you don't have either, YOU BETTER GET THEM NOW!  Everyday that passes without having a smoke and carbon monoxide detector in your house is another day you've put your family in danger!

Beyond that, those exhaust fans seem to gather dust and lint, mix that with the heat of the light, and you have the perfect equation for a house fire!  So a simple wipe down and clean out once a week will drastically reduce the odds of your home catching fire in the same way this 4 unit complex did.  It takes a few minutes, and could save your entire life!  WELL WORTH THE TIME!