RANTOUL Substandard electrical wiring was blamed for a fire that caused an estimated $20,000 damage to a Rantoul home Sunday evening.

Firefighters were called to 620 N. Penfield St. at 11:30 p.m.

The house (occupied by Jim Hamilton) was full of smoke when we arrived with a small amount of flames showing around the door header when you enter the kitchen, Fire Chief Ken Waters said.

He said the fire had extended into the wall cavity of the ceiling and started into the second floor, where firefighters were able to contain it.

Cause of the fire was an electric heater in the living room that was plugged into an outlet with substandard wiring. The wires overheated and caught the interior of the wall on fire.

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Wiring blamed for Rantoul house fire

MUSKOGEE, Oklahoma - Two men are in critical condition after a Muskogee house fire and two women are in jail.

Investigators said what was happening inside the home was criminal.

Fire investigators said the people inside the house were stealing electricity from the next-door neighbor and likely trying to power the entire house. 12/10/2014 Related Story: Two Men Critically Injured In Muskogee House Fire

Muskogee Fire Marshal Ray Bob Daniels raked through what's left of the back room of a house on Eastside Boulevard.

There's a breaker panel just on the other side of that wall, he said.

Wiring, that Daniels said was attached to that breaker panel, snakes down the back steps and straight to the neighbor's power box outside.

You can see where it has been cut right here, and then you can see where we have wires exposed right here in this box which supplies electricity to this air conditioner, Daniels said.

Daniels said it's possible the fire sparked because the wiring couldn't handle the amount of power the people were trying to use.

There were also several space heaters throughout the house.

I don't know if they had the wiring plugged into a heater... just don't know what was going on in there, he said.

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Fire Investigators Say Occupants Of Muskogee Home Were Stealing Electricity

DENISON, TX -- We now know what caused a fire that severely damaged a Denison home last night.

Firefighters say it was faulty wiring in the attic. And the old wood frame home burned fast, taking with it the family's gifts and memories, but not their real strength -- each other.

"I was wrapping Christmas presents in my dining room and then all my electricity went out," says fire victim Jackie Garling.

Garling says first she went to the breaker box, trying to figure out why the power stopped.

"And I looked up in the closet where the attic is and I hollered at my husband because I saw orange," says Jackie.

"She said, 'Does that look like fire in the closet?' and I said, 'Yes it does,' and it was," says fire victim Jeff Garling.

Suddenly, the couple and their grandson had to get out. Their daughter lives next door.

"My son was staying with my mother and she came running over with him in blankets screaming," says Jerika Liggett.

"The fire was already coming out of the attic. The occupants that were inside had evacuated," says Denison Assistant Fire Chief Bill Ray.

"I've lost everything I have. The most important thing was my pictures, but I have my life. I have my grandson," says Jackie.

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Family Speaks Out After Surviving Denison House Fire Blamed On Faulty Wiring

Seattle startup Porch.com keeps hammering away at the home-improvement market. Todayits announcinga new appthat will enable people to order home-improvement services with a few taps ontheir phone.

The app lets people search forhome-improvementservice providers onApple mobile devices, extending the Porch web site. But the apps key feature isaconcierge service that will directly connect homeowners with contractors to arrange projects, with a pledge to geta contractor on the phone in less than 60 seconds.

Porch image of its apps concierge screen.

Matchmaking is coordinated by Porch representatives providing live customer service during each session. The concierge service has been tested in recent months with thecontractor referral service that Porch offersnationally through Lowes stores.

Contractorsget a heads-up about the project request throughCaller ID on their mobile phones, indicating that a Porch referral isavailable, or via text message.

A more advanced version of the Porch app that offers instant contractor booking, all via the app,is also launching in trial mode in the Seattle area.

That is taking the next step to making home improvement easy, really frictionless, for homeowners, said Matt Ehrlichman, Porch chief executive.

Ehrlichman said the general idea is to make Porch like Uber for home.

To enable instant booking, Porch screens a roster of service providers and pre-negotiates prices fora fixed set of smaller home-improvement projects, such as hanging a picture, installing a garbage-disposal or wiring a light fixture. More complicated projects such as building a deck or replacing a roof still require research and an old fashioned conversation.

This aspect is similar to the service provided by cross-town rival Pro.com, a home-improvement venture started by Amazon.com veterans. Pro.coms pitch is that it offers instant estimates tailored for local market conditions, with online scheduling available so far in the Seattle area.

The rest is here:
With new app, Porch.com adds on-demand home improvement | Brier Dudley

BUILDING A HOUSE: It is a rather significant investment - surely you want to do it right first-time?

Richard Gough, general manager of Future-Proof Building, made some mistakes when building his family home five years ago.

Now that he has moved on to a new project - a house renovation - Gough took some time to reflect on things he would be doing differently this time round.

Here he shares his top tips for building your own home.

Fairfax Photographic

DO YOU HAVE THE POWER?: Gough says it is an investment worth thinking about.

1. Rays the roof

Solar power: When I built I didn't give much consideration to solar power, the units weren't that attractive and it wasn't as cost-effective as it is now. But prices have reduced dramatically installation is now less than a third of what it was in 2008 and they are more slimline and aesthetically minded.

My advice: Solar power can pay for itself in about eight to 10 years. If you can't afford to install it at this stage, it's definitely worth pre-wiring in case you want to upgrade in the future. It is a selling point if you put your home on the market.

SECURITY: Gates aren't enough to deter criminals, but the good news is there's plenty of technology that can help.

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10 lessons learned from a house build

Posted: Saturday, December 6, 2014 3:46 pm | Updated: 4:30 pm, Sat Dec 6, 2014.

Sanford man charged with stealing copper wiring from Carthage home

CARTHAGE - A Sanford man was arrested Thursday after Moore County Sheriff's deputies found him under a house trying to steal copper wiring.

Edward Andrew Gorton, 36, of the 200 block of Twin Ponds Road in Sanford, was charged with breaking and entering, larceny and possession of stolen goods, according to a statement released Saturday by the Moore County Sheriff's Office. Bail was set at $10,000.

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Sanford man charged with stealing copper wiring from Carthage home

A Sanford man is facing multiple charges after sheriff's deputies say they found him under a home attempting to take copper wiring, according to a release from Sheriff Neil Godfrey.

Edward Andrew Gorton, 36, of 271 Twin Ponds Road, Sanford, was arrested on Dec. 4 and charged with one count of felony breaking and entering, one count of felony larceny and one count of felony possession of stolen goods.

Godrey reported that his office received a call from a concerned citizen about a suspicious suspectthe caller had observed at a residence on N.C.24/27 near Carthage.

Deputies responded and located an unoccupied van near the residence. Deputies searched the area for the vans occupants and found Gorton, the vehicles registered owner, under a nearby residence from which he was attempting to steal copper wiring, Godfrey said.

Gorton was confined in the Moore County Detention Center under a $10,000 secured bond. His first court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 23, 2014 in the Moore County District Court in Carthage.

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Sanford Man Charged in Connection with Break-in, Larceny

266 GARDEN AVE., TORONTO

ASKING PRICE $995,000

SELLING PRICE $1,267,000

PREVIOUS SELLING PRICE $529,000 (2006)

TAXES $4,976 (2013)

DAYS ON THE MARKET Seven

LISTING AGENTS Adrienne, Norm and Tasi Farquhar, Keller Williams Neighbourhood Realty

The Action: Bidding wars are a common affair when purchasing a High Park home, so the sellers of this detached residence were confronted with five offers after enduring more than 50 showings this summer.

What They Got: Over eight years, this more than 100-year-old house was updated in various ways, from a new roof, cooling, plumbing and wiring systems to reclaimed hardwood floors, soapstone and butcher block kitchen counters and a mudroom addition with an exit to the deck, 23-by-118-foot lot and lower-level recreation room with exposed brick walls.

The balance of the house contains a living room with an antique fireplace and a central dining area, as well as two four-piece bathrooms and three bedrooms on the second and third floors.

See more here:
High Park home goes $272,000 over asking

Watching sports on TV got a whole lot better with the advent of high-definition video. But as good as the action looks, you still cant feel it. Not yet, anyway, but youll be able to soon enough.

The Guitammer Company, based in my home state of Ohio, are working on a more immersive home viewing experience for sports fanatics. Guitammer is the force behind ButtKicker low-frequency transducers, piston-powered devices that turn audio input into physical vibrations. Theyre used in loads of 4D theaters like the ones at Disney, Universal Studios, and perhaps even your local IMAX.

Now, Guitammer has their sights set on pro sports. They recently finished wiring up the San Jose Sharks rink at the SAP Center with a series of 76 impact sensors. The sensors are embedded into the boards that surround the ice surface. Whenever 6-foot-5 defenseman Brent Burns drives some unfortunate opposition forward into the boards, they spring into action.

Guitammer has come up with a way to transmit a signal from those sensors alongside audio and video for a broadcast. Once it hits your home theater, it gets pumped into the ButtKicker attached to your couch or recliner and gives you a satisfying jolt. Its not quite the same as having seats right behind the glass, but theres also much less risk of someone spilling their beer on you (or maybe not, depending on how rowdy you get when watching hockey at home).

The first successful test of Guitammers 4D Sports system happened on Comcast Sportsnet California just over a week ago when the Sharks faced off against the Florida Panthers. Theres really no better place to test a system like this than San Jose, where the boards are slathered with ads from top tech companies.

Im really hoping this catches on. Im a lot more interested in couch-thumping 4D television than I am 3D TV.

Now read: Avatar robots stand in for real fans at this Korean baseball stadium

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4D hockey broadcasts will hip-check you at home

EXCELSIOR SPRINGS, MO (KCTV) -

A family of five lost their house, Christmas presents and decorations when a fire destroyed their Excelsior Springs home.

Now, a local diner is hoping to help by collecting donations for the family.

The fire destroyed the family's home in the 300 block of Haynes on Tuesday afternoon. A 5-year-old boy named Lucky noticed the smoke and alerted his dad who was sleeping at the time.

"Luckily Lucky woke me up. He saw some smoke in the kitchen. He said, 'dad, dad I see some smoke,'" his dad, Joe Clark, said. "He lives up to his name continuously. He's just a little jewel. Both my boys, we've been blessed with two beautiful children."

Clark, his fianc Lura Pate, their sons 6-year-old Odin and 5-year-old Lucky and the boys' grandmother, Renna, all lived inside the home.

Firefighters believe old electrical wiring in the attic started the fire.

Firefighters rushed to save the majority of the boys' Christmas presents. Several presents and Christmas decorations were destroyed.

"I couldn't thank them enough. I don't even have the words to describe that feeling when I saw those boxes of gifts sitting perfectly fine outside on the lawn," Pate said.

The bedrooms inside the home were badly damaged by smoke and water. The upstairs bedroom and attic were also destroyed.

Continue reading here:
Community hopes to save family's Christmas after fire destroys home