UPDATE: Cleveland Street fire may have had unusual cause, second house fire followed also with unusual cause

Update:

A house fire on Cleveland Street about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday may have had an unusual cause.

Also, that fire was soon followed by a second house fire not too many blocks away.

First, the department responded to heavy smoke in the residence at 602 Cleveland St. after the occupants called about smelling smoke.

Fire Chief Mark Whiteside said the first one on the scene got the occupants out of the house and called for backup.

Quick action by firefighters kept the small fire from getting out of control.

“The exact cause was not pinpointed, but due to the location of the fire, we feel like there was a magnifying lamp that the sun was hitting that could have been a possible cause,” Fire Chief Mark Whiteside said. At first they thought there might have been an electrical problem that set an adjacent armchair on fire.

Most of the smoke came from the burning chair but the fire could have quickly spread if it had not been dealt with quickly.

“I will compliment the fast actions of the crews that more than likely kept the damage to a very big house to a minimum,” Whiteside said.

Whiteside said there was primarily smoke damage to the home although some water had been used.

No one was reported injured.

The second fire was reported about 5 p.m. at 314 E. Bankhead Street, also with a somewhat unusual cause.

Whiteside the cause apparently was that someone was power washing the home and shorted out the electrical service coming to the house from the street.

It was quickly extinguished and apparently most, if not all, the damage was to the building exterior and electrical service.

“I would caution each citizen at this time to make sure that working smoke alarms are present,” Whiteside cautioned. “If you smell smoke, leave the structure and dial 911, and as an extra precaution do not leave any type of magnifying glass or object in direct sunlight that could quite possibly shine on a flammable material or substance.”

Utility crews disconnect the electrical service to the house on Bankhead Street.

Firefighters examine the chair that was the source of most of the smoke at the Cleveland Street fire.