69 e-type starter, ignition switch, smells of burning wires....help???

I have a 69 e-type. When I turned the key in the ignition yesterday morning, everything shorted out. I thought it was a dead battery,(got cold here the evening before) so replaced the battery today, turned the key and once again everything shorted out and this time my car smelled of burning electrical wires / components. Grabbed my handy fire extinguisher just in case things got really hot, thankfully it never got that serious. I immediately disconnected the battery and now am looking for advice. What am I facing here? Is it the starter? Ignition switch? Would appreciate your thoughts.