An overheated sump pump is to blame for a small electrical fire in the Town of Gibraltar late Wednesday night. The call came in from Wandering Road in Fish Creek just before midnight, with the Door County Sheriff’s Department responding first, followed by Gibraltar Fire and Rescue. The homeowner was alerted to the fire in the basement, where he found an electrical outlet connected to the home’s basement on fire. He shut the power off to the outlet and the fire was out before emergency personnel arrived. Gibraltar Fire Chief Andy Bertges suggests the sump pump was running a lot due to the warming temperatures melting the snow, with no place to shoot out the displaced water.
Bertges says the incident showcased the importance of working smoke detectors in the home, which alerted the homeowners to the emergency. Emergency personnel were able to leave shortly after their arrival following an inspection and airing the home out after the basement was filled with smoke.