Electrical fire contained on Sandy Ridge Road

BONNERS FERRY — South Boundary Fire was called to a structure fire on Sandy Ridge Road on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 7:10 a.m. The fire was initially thought to be a chimney fire, but the quick thinking of firefighters allowed them to locate the source of the flames.

North Bench Fire and Paradise Valley Fire were also called to the scene as part of the mutual aid, but North Bench Fire was canceled. Boundary Ambulance also responded to the fire.

A neighbor discovered the fire when they were coming over to put wood in the woodstove of the new shop and noticed an orange glow.

When the firefighters arrived on scene, they thought the fire was from the woodstove and quickly extinguished that fire, but noticed something strange. On further investigation, they discovered that the fire originated as an electrical fire in a different area, and they were able to get it under control.

”The guys on scene caught it right away,” said South Boundary Fire Chief Tony Rohrwasser. “The fire had creeped along through the insulation, burning its way through to the woodstove.”

Although the specific electrical item that started the fire is still being investigated, they have pinpointed the area of origin.

“It looked to be a great save with very minimal damage,” said Rohrwasser. “The crews on scene were very quick to locate the problem and the results were the best as could be expected.”