WINNSBORO (June 16, 2016) – A duplex suffered heavy damage, but the occupants of both apartments escaped without injury, when an air conditioning unit sparked a fire on Poplar Street Monday night.
The fire began just after 8 p.m. Monday in apartment A at 210 Poplar St., originating from a window air conditioning unit in the front bed room. The unit was plugged into a faulty extension cord, according to Deputy Fire Marshal Greg Gerber.
The 900-square-foot apartment was 50 percent destroyed by the blaze, Gerber said, while apartment B suffered smoke damage. The occupants of both apartments were home at the time of the fire, Gerber said, and all made it out of their homes safely. Gerber estimated the damage to the overall structure at approximately $20,000.
Community, Town of Winnsboro, Lebanon and Greenbrier fire departments responded to the fire, which was extinguished just after 11 p.m. The Fairfield County Rescue Squad and the Red Cross also responded to the scene.
