No Injuries in Fire at Diener Road Residence

No injuries were reported in a fire that damaged a home on Diener Road early Thursday.

Washington firefighters were called to the home at 334 Diener Road about 2:35 a.m. and quickly extinguished the blaze.

Fire Chief Bill Halmich said it appears the cause of the fire was an electronic gaming device located in a computer room off of the home’s kitchen.

Halmich said the homeowner, Christopher Kiel, had just returned home, found the house full of smoke and called 911.

The fire chief said when he arrived on the scene he noticed light smoke, then did a perimeter search and saw flames through a window at the rear of the house. When the first crew arrived they extended a hose line to the rear of the house to knock down that fire, then another crew entered through the front door.

The first floor of the home sustained extensive heat and smoke damage, Halmich noted, and there was fire damage in the small computer room.

Not a Member

Halmich noted that the homeowner is not a member of the Washington Rural Fire Association, which has seen membership decline in recent years.

That means the Washington Fire Department can bill the homeowner for extinguishing the blaze at the rate of $500 per hour, according to state law.

In contrast, the annual dues to belong to the rural fire association is $40 per year, the fire chief said.