See What Caused the Fire on Galen Street

The two-alarm blaze that burned a home on Galen Street Thursday night was caused by faulty wiring in a ceiling fan, Watertown Fire officials said.

The fire started on the first floor of the right side of the home at 88 Galen St., said Deputy Chief Rob Iannetta. No one was home on the side of the home where the fire started.

"It was a duplex and the occupant of other side of house smelled smoke but was too late," Iannetta said.

It took firefighters more than an hour and a half to douse the flames. One of the reasons why it burned so long is because the house was sided with asphalt shingles.

"We call them gasoline siding because they burn like gasoline," Iannetta said. "It burned up the side of the house and got to second floor. It is like tar almost. It melts and drips, and you get balls of fire dripping down."

The side of the home where the fire occurred was severely damaged, Iannetta said, and the other side had some fire damage, as well as smoke and water damage.

The fire struck right before rush hour - about 4:45 p.m. - and one of Watertown's main arteries was closed. Most of the fire department cleared the area at 10 p.m., and Galen Street was reopened at that point. A small crew watched the home all night to make sure the fire did not reignite, Iannetta said.