Fire destroys Sidwell home over weekend – The Preston Citizen

A home was destroyed by fire over the weekend while its owners, Brady and Jessie Sidwell, were camping. Located at 185 N. 400 West, the home was old enough that it still had adobe bricks in the walls.

Old wiring, called knob and tube wiring, caused the blaze, said fire marshall Scott Martin. This type of wiring was installed before the World Warr II era, he said. It was intended to be cooled by air, and was never designed to handle the electricity loads required by modern appliances, he said.

That type of wiring has largely been replaced in older homes. Martin said hes covered many fires caused by the old wiring, but less in recent years as people have had it replaced.

The fire in the Sidwell home was reported to the fire department first at 4:15 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. They were recalled later that night, then again early Sunday morning.

According to Martin, despite the fire departments use of heat censors, the fire was able to escape detection between the adobe bricks and other nooks and crannies common in older homes that have been remodeled.

Because there was no insurance on the home, Martin said he referred the family to the Red Cross for assistance.

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Fire destroys Sidwell home over weekend - The Preston Citizen