A fire Thursday night at a duplex at 9 Halifax St. in Winslow apparently was caused by old wiring in a ceiling light on the second floor.

“It is believed that the fire is accidental, and it is believed it was a result of old electrical wiring,” Winslow fire Chief Ronnie Rodriguez said Friday.

Firefighters responded to a report of a fire Thursday in the upstairs unit of a two-apartment building at 9 Halifax St. Morning Sentinel file photo by Rachel Ohm

The light was in a bedroom that was not used as a bedroom, and the damage was confined to that room, Rodriguez said.

“Because the occupant was home and noticed it and we had a quick response, we were able to limit the exposure to the ceiling immediately above the light,” he said.

An upstairs tenant told the Morning Sentinel at the scene that he was home when the fire started.

The fire was contained to the span of rafters where the light was hanging, but firefighters had to check the span on either side to make sure the blown-in insulation did not contain sparks.

“You have to make sure you clean all that out,” Rodriguez said.

The Fire Department was sent to the duplex at 4:50 p.m. Waterville, Oakland and Clinton firefighters also responded, while Vassalboro firefighters covered the Winslow station, according to Rodriguez. Fairfield firefighters were on another call at the time.

Central Maine Power was asked to disconnect power from the building. Halifax Street was blocked to traffic at Bay Street and the top of Halifax.

Rodriguez said when firefighters arrived at the scene, they saw smoke coming from the eaves of the attic. They had the fire under control within 15 minutes, he said.

The American Red Cross helped tenants find shelter for the night, he said.

Amy Calder — 861-9247

acalder@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @AmyCalder17

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