A fire heavily damaged a rental home in the Bethany Lakes neighborhood, just north of Bethany Beach, on Tuesday morning after an electrical malfunction in the outdoor pool equipment sparked the fire, according to the Delaware Office of the State Fire Marshal.
People renting the home in the 31000 block of May Drive were reportedly eating breakfast when they smelled smoke and then ran across the street as flames spread up through the roof of the house, according to Tony Petralia, spokesperson for Millville Volunteer Fire Company.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office confirmed that none of the occupants or firefighters were injured.
Millville was one of the first fire companies to respond at about 9:30 a.m., and the fire was already emanating from the roof at that point, Petralia said. Several other area fire departments arrived and shut down part of Fred Hudson Road for at least two hours to stage the equipment.
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Petralia estimated that 75 firefighters were on the scene, and the fire was extinguished just after 11 a.m.
State fire investigators determined the fire was accidental due to the electrical malfunction in the pool equipment, and the damage was estimated at $500,000.
Emily Lytle covers Sussex County from the inland towns to the beaches. Got a story she should tell? Contact her at elytle@delmarvanow.com or 302-332-0370. Follow her on Twitter at @emily3lytle.
