Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Firefighters respond to house fire on S. 25th Street.

Incident Date:  12/24/13
Issuing Officer:  Joe Meinecke
Incident Location:  2218 S. 25th St.
Incident Type:  Residential Structure Fire

Narrative:  At 12:44 PM, Firefighters from stations 1,2,4,8,9,11 and 17 responded to a reported house fire.

The first arriving company found heavy smoke showing from the one story approximately 1,000 square foot residence. Crews attacked the fire with handlines, prevented the fire from spreading to a nearby house, ventilated the roof, and searched the structure to confirm no one was trapped inside.

Seven occupants, two dogs, and (with the help of a fire crew) a pet python were all able to escape the blaze without harm. There were no injuries to report. Relocation assistance was requested from the Red Cross for one adult and four children displaced in the fire.

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

UPDATE:  A fire investigator determined that the cause of the fire was a child igniting combustibles with a lighter, resulting in an estimated $116,000 damage to the building and its contents.