BY ELENI HIMARAS
reporter@ltview.com
An electrical problem caused the accidental fire that destroyed a houseboat in Hurst Harbor last week, fire investigators said.

 ”The original thought was the battery,” Fire Investigator Brandon Blount said, but further investigation has led him to believe it was a type of power surge. The fire was still under investigation for further details as of press time Tuesday.
The owner of the houseboat had been renting it out to his brother, who was not there at the time of the blaze, Lake Travis Fire Rescue spokesperson Dale Faust said.
It took six units from Lake Travis Fire Rescue and a fireboat from North Lake Travis Fire Department to extinguish the fire. After pushing the boat away from the dock to keep the fire from spreading, firefighters had to lay more than 1,000 feet of hose to get water to the burning boat.
There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians but the fire caused about $25,000 in damage to the boat and property onboard.
The current drought is making fire safety even more important.
“We are in a critical situation and we will experience fires that will burn hotter, faster and will be very difficult to extinguish,” Fire Chief Jim Linardos said.