Overheated electrical cord starts house fire

Firefighters responded to a house at the corner of 42nd and Evanston just after midnight this morning and discovered flames shooting out the front door.

A few minutes later, firefighters had the flames under control. Fortunately, everyone got out of the house safely and there were no injuries. Investigators have determined that the fire was accidental and was caused by an overheated electrical cord. The damage is estimated at $50,000. The large response included several units from Ballard, clogging Evanston Ave. and drawing quite a crowd of onlookers from neighbors.