fire-charlie walker road

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Staff report
A fire at 5710 Charlie Walker Road in Cabarrus County may have been caused by an electric oil heater or the extension cord it was plugged into.
Cabarrus County Fire Marshal Steve Langer said the fire displaced the family ó parents and a child ó and Red Cross was called to assist the family. Damage was contained to an alcove area between two rooms on the second floor of the home.
“Damagewise, it was contained right there” where the heater and cord were, Langer said.
Enochville Fire Department was dispatched to the call at 8:35 a.m. and assistance was offered by Odell and Kannapolis fire departments.
Langer said the cause of the fire is still under investigation to determine if the cord was bad or if there was a recall or other problems with the heater. He did have a word of advice for others running electric heaters.
“All major appliances should be plugged directly into the wall,” he said.
“I would be more inclined to say the cord probably failed and caused the fire, but we’re not able to determine what failed at this point,” he added.
Estimated damage to the home was valued at $20,000.
The fire was not weather related.