At 1:07 AM on Thursday, November 6th, 2014, the Bismarck Fire Department responded to a report of a fire in the ceiling of a home on the 400 block of North 20th Street. A resident called and reported that he had awakened and found the ceiling black, and hot to the touch.
Upon arrival, firefighters found smoke coming from the roof area, but no fire visible from the exterior. Firefighters gained entry to the interior of the home, and pulled the ceiling down to gain access to the fire in the attic. There was substantial damage to the roof trusses indicating that the fire had been burning slowly for some time.
Firefighters remained on scene for several hours after the fire was extinguished to ventilate light smoke that was present, and to extinguish areas of smoldering under the insulation. There were no injuries to either residents or responding firefighters. The residents were offered assistance through the Fire Chaplaincy and the Red Cross since they will be displaced temporarily until repairs can be made.
Preliminary fire loss estimate to the home and contents is $35,000. The cause of the fire appears to have been accidental, and electrical in nature.