Early morning house fire in La Junta caused partially by old wiring, fire department says

LA JUNTA, Colo. (KRDO) -- The La Junta Fire Department (LJFD) says old wiring was one of the causes of an early morning house fire on Thursday.

According to LJFD, they responded to an alarm for a reported structure fire around 5 a.m. at 14 West 7th. According to officials, firefighters saw smoke coming from the attic and eaves, and a full structure fire was called.

LJFD says crews started to work on accessing the attic and ended up having to pull ceiling in the living room. They say that is when they found smoke and a smoldering fire from insulation and two roof trusses. According to officials, there was an old knob and tubing wire up there as well.

Officials say a vent fan was set up to help clear the smoke, and they had to use minimal water to put the fire out. City crews also helped by disconnecting power to the house.

LFJD says the cause of the fire was an excessive use of electricity mixed with old wiring.

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