Fire at abandoned New Orleans home ends in illegal electrical connection arrest

NEW ORLEANS ( WGNO ) — One man was arrested after an illegal electrical connection caused a residential fire in an abandoned New Orleans building in the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 3.

According to the New Orleans Fire Department, a report went out at 12:40 a.m. regarding a fire at the intersection of Allen and Hope streets in the 7th Ward.

Fire fighters arrived on the scene at 12:46 a.m. and found a one-story, wood framed, abandoned building on fire and spreading, which struck a second alarm. The fire was brought under control by 1:22 a.m. and a fire investigator was brought on scene.

According to the NOFD investigator and confirmed by Entergy Electric, there were illegal electrical drop boxes throughout the block. Witnesses identified a person who had run the illegal electrical lines to the home, and when questioned, the individual admitted to staying there, which led to his arrest by the fire investigators.

The American Red Cross helped two people who were displaced from their homes due to damage caused by the original fire.

The NOFD asks that, in order to prevent similar fires in the future, citizens inform Fire Prevention, the New Orleans Police Department or Entergy Electric of illegal utility theft.

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