Fire investigators are eyeing a faulty electrical appliance as the probable cause of a blaze at a Robinson Street home Monday morning.

Investigators say the fire that caused an estimated $10,000 in damage to a single-story brick home at 621 Robinson Street may have started inside a stove.

"Through the investigation, we have reason to believe it was an electrical short," said Lt. Keith Scharf of the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety. "There's no evidence of any arson. We've ruled out cooking."

At about 10:57 a.m., a mailman on his delivery route noticed smoke and, along with a Robinson Street man, notified firefighters. No one was home at the time of the fire.

Directly across from the burning home, Michael Aiken and Cynthia Brown were watching TV when they heard the sirens.

"I told her to come here and look out the door because it sounded like the cops were out there," Aiken said.

Three engine companies and a rescue truck arrived within four minutes, according to an ODPS incident report.

Aiken and Brown hadn't met their neighbor yet, saying he hadn't lived at the residence for long.

"I hope they find the dog," Brown said. "If you saw him, he had his dog with him."'

Damage appeared to be confined to the kitchen area, Scharf said. A stove had actually burned through the floor and settled on the ground.

After the kitchen area was extinguished, firefighters worked to control flames below the floor joists and sparks that had risen into the attic area, Scharf said.

Firefighters had the blaze under control in less than 30 minutes but stayed on scene another two hours to put out any hot spots or embers.

"We are super sensitive about that. ... We're real conscientious about that. Even after it's out, we'll have an officer ride by every hour for the next six hours," he said.

From their home across the street, Brown and Aiken learned the man hadn't been informed as of Monday morning of the fire.

"It's sad because it's cold and the holidays are coming," Brown said.

"It's the holidays and he's got nowhere to go. His house has burned and nobody's found his dog," Aiken said.

However, Scharf said the man was contacted late Monday. And he was asked about his dog.

"Actually, the dog was with him," Scharf said. "There was some concern about that."

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5516.

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