Home badly damaged in Portland fire

PORTLAND, Conn. (WTNH) - Fire crews ran into problems when they discovered that a live electrical wire was burning  outside of a Portland home.

Firefighters were dispatched to the home on Route 66, in the area of High Street, around 8pm on Thursday night.

The fire started in a bedroom on the second floor and worked its way up to the roof.

A downed power line had burned away from the building, preventing workers from attacking the fire from the inside of the home.

After the power line was removed by CL&P crews, firefighters headed inside to fight the flames.

The fire was under control within 20 minutes.

The fire caused extensive damage to the entire second floor of the home. There was also extensive water damage throughout the first floor.

No one was home at the time of the fire, but a family of three was displaced as a result of the damage. The Red Cross is helping the family with temporary housing.

The fire marshal determined that the fire was most likely caused by an electrical malfunction within the second floor bedroom.

One firefighter was injured, she hurt her thumb on a hose.

The High Street area of Route 66 was closed off for several hours while crews were on the scene.