Two Fires Reported In Madison in Under Two Hours

Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007

The Madison Fire Department was dispatched to the Golden Living Center at shortly after 9PM Thursday night after the fire alarm at the building sounded. When fire crews arrived they discovered that the smoke alarm had actually detected smoke from burnt popcorn.

The Madison Fire Department was also dispatched shortly before 11PM when the alarm system at the Community Center went off. The call was coming from the Dakota State University Fieldhouse, whose alarm system is interconnected with the Community Center. Fire Chief Jerry Johnson says an extension cord that plugs in a soda machine in the front entryway shorted out and put off smoke from the arching and sparking of the short. No fire was started. Johnson says the ends of the extension cord were melted, and that clean-up would be necessary to get the melted cord off the floor and air out the smoke, but no further damage was caused.