Electrical outlet apparent source of Trenton house fire

For photos of the fire at 206 Union St. in Trenton, click here.

TRENTON — Investigators say the fire that engulfed a two-story white house on Union Street appears to have started from an electrical outlet in an upstairs bedroom.

The fire was reported just after 4 p.m. Saturday when Diane Kleman and her mother, Pat Goedde, were relaxing at home, 206 Union St.

Kleman said the home’s lights had flickered, and she went to the basement to turn the breaker switch off and on.

When Kleman came back upstairs, she said she heard a “popping” noise coming from the second floor. She said she could “hardly see anything” because of black smoke filling the second story.

She said that several unidentified men began banging on some of the house’s windows, instructing her and Goedde to get out. The men were not to be found later as crews tamed the fire.

“We lost everything,” Kleman said fighting back tears.

Fire investigators told the family that the fire appeared to be from an electrical outlet in the bedroom of Kleman’s 18-year-old daughter, Courtney.

Susan Clark, captain of the Trenton Fire Department, said the fire remains under investigation and she could not offer an estimate of damages. No one was injured in the blaze.

Clark said that when crews arrived, 20-foot flames were shooting from the roof of the house and out of a front upstairs window.

“The fire had a pretty good head start on us,” she said.

Monroe and Madison Twp. fire crews assisted Trenton Fire Department.

Courtney Kleman was working in Monroe at the time the fire started. When she arrived at the scene, she collapsed in her mother’s arms in tears.

“I graduate this year, so all my graduation stuff is in there,” the Edgewood senior said.

The family had been renting the house for the past six years.

An array of co-workers, family and friends stood beside Goedde and the Klemans on Saturday as fire crews worked to quiet the flames. Diane said many had already offered help.

“We’ll have plenty of places to stay,” she said. “There are plenty of people around.”