Fire at underground home in west Lincoln likely sparked by smoking, inspector says

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Lincoln Fire & Rescue battled a house fire in west Lincoln on Friday.

Just before 2:15 p.m., several crews were called to a small home at the corner of Sixth and Sumner streets.

In a video sent to our NOW Local News App by a Channel 8 reporter, you can see an immense amount of smoke filling the area.

It was an underground home known as a berm home.

LFR said fires in such homes can get really hot quickly.

Firefighters used a defensive strategy to battle the blaze, which means they battled it from the outside and focused on protecting other buildings.

LFR was able to get the blaze under control relatively quickly.

The home was unoccupied, and no one was injured

One of the owners told Channel 8 that they had moved away in recent months but that the home was filled with “irreplaceable mementos.”

The owner and her husband were married right in the front yard, and the home was supposed to be something passed down through their family.

LFR said the health department was called to the scene due to unauthorized inhabitants being reported in the home.

According to the fire inspector, the cause is still under investigation, but there’s a high probability that it’s related to smoking.

No water, gas or electricity has been connected to the house for some time, LFR said.

The fire caused about $50,000 in damage, according to the fire inspector.