An overloaded electrical circuit is believed to be the cause of a residential fire in Marthasville early Friday morning, Marthasville Fire Chief Jeff Backhaus said. Backhaus said the house at 101 E. Main is a total loss following the 3:40 a.m. blaze. The home was unoccupied at the time of the incident. The male owner was working and his wife was sleeping elsewhere, the fire chief said. Most of the home’s contents were destroyed in the fire or sustained heavy smoke damage. The couple is now staying with relatives, Backhaus said. “When I got on the scene, flames were shooting out of the west end, through the roof,” Backhaus said. Firefighters from Washington and New Melle responded to the scene. Crews were on the scene for more than five hours. Backhaus said a cat died in the fire. No other injuries were reported. “We had the heavy fire knocked down in 10 minutes,” Backhaus said. “It was rolling rather good. The most difficult part of it was the fire that spread into the attic.” The home is located just off Highway D. Traffic was detoured onto South Street next to the Marthasville Ambulance District building. With added traffic in the city already due to the ongoing Tuque Creek bridge replacement project, Backhaus said tractor-trailer drivers waited for Highway D to reopen rather than bother with attempting to navigate the narrow city streets.