ORANGE — No residents or firefighters were injured following a fire at 133 South Main St. on Monday evening that likely started due to a power line malfunction, according to Fire Chief James Young.

Emergency personnel responded after dispatchers received multiple calls from neighbors reporting smoke coming from the building. According to Young, the Orange Fire Department was notified at 7:25 p.m., with initial reports indicating that residents may have been trapped inside.

However, first responders arrived to find the residents had been evacuated. Smoke damage was visible from the top left corner of the two-story home where electrical wires outside the house were burnt.

Young said the likely cause of the fire was a power line malfunction on a utility pole to the left side of the home.

“To the best we can tell right now, the electrical service that came into the house from the pole burnt off the building,” he said. “It shorted out for an unknown reason.”

In a Facebook post on Thursday, the Orange fire Department confirmed that the fire was extinguished when “the service line dropped to the ground and other crews simultaneously made their way to the interior for a search/check for extension.” Smoke was observed inside the attic, but the fire was confined to the exterior of the residence only.

The Facebook post thanked the residents who called 911 and evacuated an individual in a wheelchair prior to the arrival of first responders.

Although Young couldn’t confirm the exact number of occupants, witnesses said at least six people were evacuated from the building.

Witness Lee Smith, who lives across the street, recalled hearing a pop from one of the electrical poles and seeing a wire on the ground outside the house.

“We heard a pop and we came outside, and there was smoke from the side of the house and the line was down,” Lee recounted.

Minimal damage resulted and emergency personnel left the scene at around 8:45 p.m.

Attic fire

The 133 South Main St. fire was not the first to be reported in Orange on Monday. The Orange Fire Department’s Facebook post also mentioned an attic fire that was reported at 161 East Main St. First responders arrived at 6:41 p.m. and it was also determined to be an electrical fire. No injuries were reported and the home was deemed habitable.

The Facebook post explained quick notification to emergency services about the fires and a dedicated staff “made all the difference in minimizing damage and handling multiple simultaneous calls for service.”

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.