Homeowner escapes from early morning fire in Clinton

CLINTON  — A stubborn attic fire Monday morning caused $90,000 in damage to a Clinton home and forced the homeowner to flee to safety.

Clinton Fire Chief Jason Poulsen said the woman was awakened at 5:45 a.m. by a large popping noise outside her bedroom window on the exterior of the house.

The noise was coming from an electrical circuit breaker panel that had malfunctioned, shutting down power to her home, Poulsen said. The woman called her daughter who lives next door and who could see smoke billowing from the attic.

Fire crews from several agencies found the home's attic completely shrouded in smoke with flames licking the corner of the room.

Poulsen said a false roof added on to the attic made access difficult, but the fire was eventually extinguished.

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