Early morning house fire in Ellendale ruled accidental

ELLENDALE, Del. – An early morning fire in Ellendale has been ruled accidental.

The fire was reported shortly before 5 a.m. in the 18000 block of Fleatown Road. Firefighters arrived at the scene to find a small fire and structural damage in the area of a heating unit.

Fire marshals determined that the blaze was accidental in nature and was caused by the malfunction of a heating unit. Total damage has been estimated at $10,000. The home was occupied at the time of the fire, but the occupant was able to escape uninjured. No other injuries were reported.