After crews arrived, the fire captain found heavy smoke and flames coming from the back and roof of the home.
For more than six hours, crews battled the fire through heavy winds, which Madison Twp. Fire Chief Chris Clark said played a “significant role.”
“Winds combined with the balloon construction of the house made for ideal conditions for the fire to rapidly travel throughout the structure,” he said. “Because of the rapidly evolving conditions, the structure became unstable and made it too dangerous to put firefighters inside.”
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Crews initially made some headway on the fire, but the winds were able to push it through the lower attic area into the main structure, then it moved quickly to several other areas of the house, Clark said. Shortly after the initial attack on the fire, there was also a partial roof collapse on the back of the house, and firefighters had to be evacuated.
The house is a total loss, and damage is estimated at $150,000 to the structure and $50,000 to the contents, Clark said.
Two occupants made it out of the home with no injuries. Red Cross aid was offered to them, but they declined since family was on scene helping them out, Clark said.
Several other departments helped Madison Twp. Fire & EMS, including Central Twps. Joint Fire District, Harmony Twp. Fire Department, Pitchin Fire Department, Stokes Twp. Fire Department, Springfield Twp. Fire Department, Pleasant Twp. Fire Department, Cedarville Twp. Volunteer Fire Department, City of London Fire Department and Box 27.
Madison Twp. Fire & EMS has part-time and volunteer personnel of 25 members of the department, which staffs the EMS crew seven days a week who cover 48-square-miles and also provides mutual aid response to Stokes Twp. in Madison County.
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