BRUIN — The basement of a house being renovated was damaged by a fire about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Mike and Miranda Thorton, the husband and wife who live at 217 Main St., were using an electric griddle to cook when they smelled something burning.

When Mike Thornton checked the basement, he saw 8-foot flames coming from a generator they had been using while the power was shut off to the house during renovation.

After making sure Miranda Thornton was safely out of the house, Mike Thornton put out some of the fire with water from fish tanks he had in the house. He finished off the fire with water jugs he retrieved from his truck.

“I just reacted,” he said. “I used to be part of the fire department so I kind of had a little bit of experience with it.”

The Bruin Fire Department responded to the call and took care of the smoldering and hot spots in the basement. The fire was extinguished in about 25 minutes. There were no injuries.

Bruin Fire Chief Tim Slagle said the generator was the cause of the fire. No structural damage was done to the basement or the rest of the house.