Firefighters Think Apartment Fire Started with Cell Phone Charger

A at Mentor Park Apartments Thursday morning was probably caused by a cell phone charger, Mentor Fire Battalion Chief Kevin Edmond said.

The blaze began as an accidental electrical fire that started with a plugged-in charger that had been left on a chair in the living room, he said.

Edmond said it isn't uncommon for small electrical appliances to cause fires. He added that the safest thing was to unplug them when they are not in use.

The man who lived in the apartment had already left for work when the fire began, so the flames had time to spread through the unit. High winds also helped the fire move quicker.

Ultimately, everything in the apartment was ruined.

"There will be nothing salvaged from the unit," Mentor Fire Chief Richard Harvey said previously.

However, firefighters were able to stop the fire before it spread to an attached unit.

Nobody was injured by the fire.