Anchorage firefighters greeted the New Year battling a couple of home blazes.

A fire caused by an electrical problem damaged a Northeast Anchorage house early Thursday morning.

A South Anchorage home lost half its roof due to a chimney fire shortly after noon.

In Northeast Anchorage, the people living at 601 Bragaw Street smelled smoke and saw brown spots appearing on their ceiling. They safely escaped the home but the 2:50 a.m. fire caused about $75,000 in damage, according to firefighters.

The cause of the blaze: a faulty electrical circuit that ignited in a wall and spread to the attic, firefighters said.

Firefighters removed part of the ceiling and a wall to douse the fire. They had the fire under control in about 20 minutes, according to the department.

At 12:30 p.m., South Anchorage firefighters fought a house fire at 651 Clipper Ship Court that resulted in an estimated $60,000 in roof damage. Half the roof will need to be replaced, according to the Fire Department.

The suspected cause of that blaze was smoke and heat escaping from the firebox at the second story level. The fire didn't result in any injuries.