Batavia firefighters respond to report of smoldering attic

Electrical wiring is being blamed for causing insulation in a house in the 200 block of Lake Street in Batavia to smolder and nearly catch fire Saturday.

Batavia fire officials said they were called to the house at 11:39 a.m. by neighbors who spotted smoke coming from roof vents. The family of four at home at the time were unaware of the situation and were uninjured when firefighters arrived to battle the problem.

The smoldering began in the attic and spread through the roof insulation, officials said.

Fire officials said the incident caused about $20,000 worth of damage and the house was left uninhabitable because power had to be turned off. The family is staying with other family members or friends, fire officials said.

Firefighters were on scene for nearly two hours doing salvage work and clearing out insulation from the attic.