Fire investigators say a Wednesday afternoon house fire at Correll Loop was likely caused by an overloaded surge protector plugged in a wall at the home.
Christine Culp told a Post reporter her husband, Marshall, had just started a fire in the home’s wood stove so the pipes wouldn’t freeze. He’d left to check the pump house and returned to a home full of smoke and fire.
Rowan County Fire Marshal Aaron Youngblood said Thursday the fire was accidental. He said the house had older fuses and there were a number of things plugged into the surge protector, including an old stove, lamp and television.
He said the majority of the fire was contained to a different room from where the wood stove was located.
“They were doing some remodeling work and cleaning up. There was a little more clutter in that room and some of that clutter was stacked on top of that surge protector,” Youngblood said.
He said a spark would’ve ignited the paper materials.
Youngblood said it was merely coincidental that Marshall Culp was lighting a fire in the wood stove.
The home was destroyed by smoke and fire.
Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.