North Charlotte house fire ruled accidental

A large house fire in the 9600 block of Runswyck Court in north Charlotte this week started accidentally, the Charlotte Fire Investigation Task Force ruled.

One person was at the home when the fire started Wednesday afternoon and was uninjured, officials said.

The fire caused nearly $280,000 in damage, officials said.

Twenty-seven firefighters controlled the fire in 29 minutes, and crews stayed all night to watch for potential hot spots that could have flared up.

Investigators said they’ve identified two possible causes: electronics that were plugged in for charging and improperly discarded smoking materials. Joe Marusak

This story was originally published March 13, 2015 at 6:53 AM with the headline "North Charlotte house fire ruled accidental."