Investigators believe a fire that destroyed a rural Saline County home Tuesday night was electrical in nature.  Lt. Michael Ascher of the Saline County Sherriff’s Office tells The Salina Post that John Tillman arrived home at 9104 Fairchilds Road about 5:40 pm and smelled smoke when he went inside.  Tillman discovered fire in the garage and called 9-1-1.

When fire units from Saline County Rural Fire Districts #2 and #6 arrived, the garage was fully involved in fire that quickly spread to the home.  A heat lamp plugged into an extension cord had been on in the garage to provide warmth for a dog.  The dog did not survive.

Loss of the home, garage, and personal items has been placed at $450 thousand. No one was hurt in the fire.