AMHERST – A fire that destroyed a split-level home at 29 Tamarack Drive Nov. 2 was sparked by an electrical malfunction in a first-floor bedroom, according to the state fire marshal’s office.
Jennifer Mieth, spokeswoman for the fire marshal’s office, said in a phone interview Wednesday that investigators have pinpointed the fire’s origins to a power strip with several electronic devices plugged into it, including a USB power charger.
But what caused the malfunction, whether there was a failure to the power strip or a device in it, and how the fire began and spread into the home, remain unknown, Mieth said.
The homeowners, Anthony Bond and Anna Brightman-Bond, were not home at the time, but two dogs perished in the blaze and one firefighter was treated at the scene for heat exhaustion.
A local insurance company provided the homeowners temporary accommodations, and a GoFundMe account titled the Bond Family Fire Fund has been set up at https://www.gofundme.com/bond-family-fire-fund
Mieth said it is always safer to plug devices and appliances directly into wall outlets, rather than using power strips.
“Power strips are designed for convenience, they’re not really designed to fill up every hole in it and then turn everything on in it all at once,” Mieth said.
But with a growing number of cellphones and other electronics, and with most homes only having a limited number of outlets, many people are turning to power strips, she said.
To be as safe as possible, residents should limit what is plugged into them, when possible, and remove electronics when they are done charging, Mieth said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
