Crews responding to a fire in south Winfield Friday afternoon arrived to find a familiar face.
The residence at 514 E. 35th – where a fishing boat was burning in the driveway – belongs to local police chief Danny Parker. Callers originally reported that the residence was on fire, but firefighters arrived to find that was not the case, according to fire Capt. Darrell Long.
Instead, a fishing boat was burning just outside the home. It took about five minute to extinguish the blaze but the boat sustained irreparable damage.
“We had some concern because it was close to the house,” Long said. “But it didn’t take much time for us to have it fully under control.”
Parker had changed a battery in the boat not long before the fire started. Fire investigators think an electrical short sparked the fire. The boat was being readied for a weekend fishing tournament.
Once smoke began pouring from the boat, a number of area residents called to report the blaze.
Loss of contents and the boat was valued at about $15,000.
The fire occurred around 4 p.m.
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