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At 7:16 PM on 3/13/11 the Duluth Fire Department responded to a report of smoke in the house at 5309 Albion St.  Upon arrival smoke was seen coming from the eaves and the roof vents of a two story single family home.  Firefighters entered the building and found light smoke on the second floor.  They climbed into the attic area and found smouldering insulation above the bathroom and rear bedroom area.  They applied water to the area to extinguish the fire on that level.  The wall and ceiling were cut open on the second floor between the two rooms and it was discovered that there was a deep seated fire that had burned through several wall studs and many ceiling stringers. There was moderate smoke generated on the second floor when the wall was breached to extinguish the fire.  The fire was extinguished and burnt insulation from the attic was vacuumed out to prevent a second fire from starting.

It appeared that the fire had been burning for several hours and was finally discovered by the homeowner due to the light smoke in the bathroom. The damage to the home is estimated at $30,000 to the structure and $5,000 to the contents.  There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters during the fire.  Although the fire did not damage the first floor of the home, the single occupant of the home will be unable to stay in the house until repairs are made.

The cause of the fire is accidental in nature due to failure of the electrical system in the area of fire origin.