by Kevin Lilly
Pharos-Tribune
—
A fire that burned a rural Logansport residence Sunday has been ruled accidental.
State fire marshal Fred Sumpter and Logansport fire investigator Ted Franklin spent most of the day Monday shoveling charred debris from inside the two-story home at 2909 N. 275 West. At the end of their search, Sumpter pointed to the possible failure of an appliance.
“The fire started in the southwest corner of the first floor in the kitchen area,” he said. “We’ve got a coffee maker we can’t rule out as the cause of the fire.”
The Logansport Fire Department responded to the fire just after 11 a.m. Sunday. Firefighters from Logansport, Royal Center and Lucerne battled the blaze and extreme heat for more than four hours, pouring more than 20,000 gallons of water onto the structure.
The fire ripped through the house, leaving it a total loss. Donna Minniear and her husband, Gary Morehouse, were left without a home, as were her daughter and brother.
The fire also killed two pets — a golden retriever and a Jack Russell terrier.
Minniear’s brother, who is in a wheelchair, had been inside at the time of the fire, but he made it out safely.
While en route to the home, dispatch informed firefighters that a woman might be trapped in an upstairs bedroom. They later learned the woman had not been home at the time.
Minniear said those displaced by the fire would be staying with family.
Insurance adjusters were also on the scene Monday. Franklin estimated the damage to be around $125,000.
• Kevin Lilly is news editor of the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at 574-732-5117 or kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com.
