A small fire in North Berkeley on Monday morning caused minor damage to a duplex on Virginia Street, authorities said.
Several readers asked Berkeleyside about the fire, which drew four engines, a truck, an ambulance and a chief officer to the scene.
Acting Deputy Fire Chief Avery Webb, of the Berkeley Fire Department, said the call about the incident came in at 8:40 a.m. about a home in the 2100 block of Virginia Street, between Oxford and Walnut streets. The building is a duplex with two stories over a garage.
Webb said the fire reportedly began in a floor furnace in the floor of the living space immediately above the garage.
Berkeley firefighters were able to get the fire under control roughly 18 minutes after the initial report came in, he said via email. No one was injured during the incident.
It appears that a carpet touching the furnace caught on fire due to proximity.
Safety tips for residents with floor furnaces include keeping the area around them free of lint, via vacuuming, and making sure not to place combustible items, such as rugs and furniture, around the grill where they can block airflow or catch on fire.
Webb said the building suffered about $5,000 worth of damage, along with another $5,000 in smoke damage to contents.
Related:
Berkeley Tuolumne Camp supporters push to rebuild (10.16.13)
Solano County fire blankets Berkeley with smoke (10.04.13)
Small fire behind Clark Kerr campus extinguished quickly (10.04.13)
Live blog: Cal explosion sends 1 to hospital, clears campus (09.30.13)
Man rescued from home fire on Ward Street dies (09.11.13)
Berkeley man dies in house fire on Oregon Street (09.10.13)
After the fire: What next for Berkeley Tuolumne Camp? (09.05.13)
Follow Berkeleyside on Twitter and Facebook. Email us at tips@berkeleyside.com. Would you like the latest Berkeley news in your email inbox once a day? Click here to subscribe to Berkeleyside’s free Daily Briefing.
