House fire contained to bedroom, but family of five displaced

April 19-- Apr. 19--An early-morning fire Thursday in a Brownwood home displaced a family of five -- parents and three school-age daughters -- after a plug from a window air conditioner overheated, Fire Marshal Buddy Preston said.

No one was injured in the 6:30 a.m. fire, which was contained to a bedroom in a home at the corner of Greenleaf and Milton, Preston said.

Social media identified the parents as Bobby and Aidalu Price. The parents own the home, which is repairable but currently uninhabitable, Preston said. Although the fire did not spread beyond the bedroom, the rest of the house sustained water and smoke damage, he said.

The air conditioner cord overheated because it was plugged into a power strip, Preston said. He said a window air conditioner should plugged into a wall outlet rather than a power strip or extension cord because of the amperes the unit draws.

When the fire started, two of the sisters -- a Brownwood High School sophomore and a middle school student -- were at home, Preston said. The sophomore girl's twin sister had left to drive the girls' mother, who works in the Brownwood school district, to work, and the girls' father was at work at Kohler, he said.

The Red Cross is assisting the family, Preston said. He said he understands a fund has been established for the family.

There was no insurance on the house, Preston said.

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