Fairmount Public Information Officer Gayln Gorup said firefighters were told the fire started with a furnace malfunction. A repairman was relighting the home’s furnace, and the flame flashed back into his face. The fire then ignited, Gorup said, and spread to an interior wall of the house. Residents of the home tried to extinguish the flames with a garden hose, Gorup said, but were unsuccessful and called for emergency services.

It took firefighters nearly 40 minutes to control the fire. Gorup estimated the home sustained approximately $40,000 in damage.

The repairman’s hair was singed, Gorup said, and his face was red, but he refused treatment. No other injuries occurred as a result of the fire.