Fire damages home being remodeled

An attic fire that apparently was sparked by a nail grinder that ignited newspaper insulation in an attic caused an estimated $65,000 damage to a Hutchinson home April 25.

Homeowner Dan Brinkman was in the process of doing some interior remodeling of the house at 149 Fifth Ave. N.E., and had been using a grinder to grind off nails. Sparks apparently ignited newspapers that had been used as insulation in the older home.

Brinkman was outside at the time when his wife arrived home about 5:45 p.m. and noticed smoke coming through the shingles, Fire Chief Brad Emans said.

To get at the flames in the small attic area, firefighters had to resort to pulling down some ceilings. Emans said there was significant fire, smoke and water damage, forcing the family to find shelter elsewhere for the time being. Some roof rafters burned through. Firefighters were on the scene almost two hours.

(Terry Davis is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at davis@hutchinsonleader.com.)