Donna Maniscalco is without power after an electrical fire ignited in her home off Lowrance Road in Catawba on Thursday.

“I was sitting writing a letter to my son and the TV went off, the lights went out and the alarm went off,” she said.  “…I was like ‘What is wrong?’ I smelled electrical (fumes).”

Maniscalco went into the bedroom and found smoke and the carpet was smoldering.  She grabbed the dog, a small terrier mix and headed out the door.  She told her neighbor to call 9-1-1 about 2:30 p.m.

When Bandys and Catawba Volunteer Fire Departments arrived the bedroom was filled with smoke and the carpet was still smoldering, said Donald Robinson, chief of Catawba Volunteer Fire Department.

“If she hadn’t been here to smell the smoke, it could have been much worse,” he said.

Robinson said the cause of the fire was an electrical cord that had been spliced together with duct tape.  He said a lot of fires are caused by improper use of electrical cords.  He said a lot of electrical fires happen while people are at work, which allows time for the fire to get more intense.

“She’s lucky,” Robinson said.  “There’s smoke damage and the fire was contained to a small area of the carpet in the bedroom.”

He said less than 1 square foot of carpet burned.

Firefighters cut the main electrical break off as a precaution and told Maniscalco she needed to consult an electrician immediately.

Robinson said people should always follow instructions when using electrical cords and only purse those that are approved for indoor use.