The Oxford Fire Department was called to a home on the property of the Oxford Hills Golf & Country Club on W. Drahner Road March 22 at 1:18 p.m. for a possible structure fire.
According to Fire Chief Jack LeRoy, a free-standing de-humidifier in the home’s basement had ‘short circuited? and caught on fire.
‘It had a plastic tank on it and that caught on fire and put sooty smoke throughout the basement and up into the house,? he said.
LeRoy said firefighters used less than a gallon of water to extinguish the fire, but had to use large fans to ventilate the home.
The chief said the fire was under control by 1:33 p.m.
The elderly owner of the home did not suffer any injuries. LeRoy said she heard a ‘pop? in the basement before her fire alarm went off.
Structurally, the home only received a couple hundred dollars worth of damage, according to LeRoy, but the smoke damage could cost $20,000 to clean up.