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Vacuum sparks fire in Fernwood basement

Crews extinguish small fire in Empress Avenue home
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The Victoria Fire Department responded to a house fire on Empress Avenue Tuesday morning. (Courtesy of David Boudinot)

The Victoria Fire Department responded to a small house fire in the 1100-block of Empress Avenue Tuesday morning.

Crews were called in around 8:10 a.m. when passersby saw smoke coming from a lower unit in the home. Firefighters entered the home from a kitchen window and from there proceeded to the laundry room where they found a vacuum cleaner on fire.

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“We’re not sure if it overheated, if something was trapped in the lint bag or what the problem was but we’re checking into it now,” said Battalion Chief Gordon Taylor. “It’s going to get checked and investigated.”

Taylor said no one was home at the time of the fire and damage was limited to the room where the fire originated.

He applauded the vigilance of the witnesses who called in the smoke.


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