Window air conditioners are getting the blame for a pair of late night fires in Chatham-Kent.
Around 10:30 Tuesday night, crews from Harwich and Blenheim were called to a Maynard Line property where they discovered a fire in a wall and attic.
Damage is pegged at $20,000 and the cause has been linked to an air conditioning unit that was hooked up to a circuit with old knob and tube wiring.
An hour later, a fire broke out in an Oak Street home in Bothwell.
An elderly resident, who managed to escape the home on their own, was taken to hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.
Once again, investigators say the suspected cause was linked to the use of a window air conditioner.
Damage in that case is listed at $120,000 with exposures to neighbouring structures, cars, and a boat.
Officials remind everyone that portable heaters and air conditioners need to be fed from an electrical circuit that’s designed to carry the required current, and never use extension cords to hook them up.
