A POWERBOARD overload has sparked a house fire at Athelstone Tuesday 8th September 2015, sending a teenager to hospital for smoke inhalation. An MFS spokesperson said two power boards were connected to a third power board charging a phone, which caused a fire at the end of the bed.

The teen was the only person home when emergency services were called to the Gorge Rd address about 6.40pm on Monday.

Metropolitan Fire Services northern commander Alan Fisk said smoke was coming through tiles in the roof when firefighters arrived.

“There was a lot of smoke and heat through the roller shutters which had started to melt through,” he said.
“Our guys had to rip them off.”

He said a corner bedroom where the blaze began and the roof space above had been extensively damaged, while smoke and heat damage was present throughout the home.

“It was hot enough to make the ceiling drop in, which means the fire got into the roof space,” Mr Fisk said.
“There is pretty extensive damage to the roof timbers in the back quarter of the house.”

He said it took 19 MFS and 10 Country Fire Service firefighters 20 minutes to control the blaze, and about 45 to fully extinguish it.

The home’s owner said he lived in the house, which was insured, with his wife for 17 years.

He said his nephew, who was boarding with the couple, had been taken to hospital but was doing well. An SA Ambulance spokeswoman said the teenager was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Mr Fisk said the damage bill was estimated to be $120,000. Investigators have been called in to determine the cause of the blaze.

Please contact Sharpe for an Electrical system inspection, if your electrical wiring or powerboard are more than 10 years old, and have not been checked in the last 3 years.