An electrical fire in an apartment building Monday afternoon has left two families without homes.
No one was injured in the fire at 1811 Sir Lancelot Drive, which is near Keebler Road. The Collinsville Fire Department was called at 12:35 p.m. after resident Anita Adams saw smoke coming from her apartment window while playing outside with her kids.
"The resident had plugged something into a receptacle on Thursday, which caused a spark and also caused the circuit to automatically shut off," Collinsville Fire Chief Jim Twyman said.
Adams did not immediately notify the landlord because he had been working in her bathroom and was expected to return within a couple days.
Twyman said the landlord returned to the apartment on Monday, turned on the circuit and had gone to the hardware store to buy a new circuit when the fire broke out.
"When the owner turned the circuit back on, it evidently charged the circuit causing it to spark," Twyman said.
The fire ignited in the wall between Adams' apartment and the adjoining apartment, leased by Jeannette Kuni.
Kuni rushed home from work to make sure her mother, Edna Thielemann, and her 3-year-old daughter, Maori Brown, were safe. Both were home at the time of the fire but got out of the building safely.
"I'm glad no one was injured and that everyone is safe. Belongings can be replaced," said Kuni as she sifted through what was left of her belongings after firefighters left the scene.
The fire destroyed Kuni's and Adams' apartments, Twyman said.
Kuni said Monday she planned to just find another place to live because firefighters told her renovations to the apartment would be extensive. Adams could not be reached for comment.
Two other adjoining apartments only sustained smoke damage.
Distributed by the Associated Press
