Issuing Officer: Joe Meinecke
Incident Location: 1201 S. 37th St.
Incident Type: House Fire
Narrative: At 9:34 p.m., Firefighters from stations 2,4,7,8,9,11 and 17 responded to a reported house fire. The first arriving engine company found smoke and flames showing from the basement of the 1 1/2 story approximately 5,000 square single family home functioning as a group boarding home.
Crews attacked the fire with handlines and conducted a thorough search of the structure to confirm no one was trapped in the blaze. Initial reports were that one occupant had reentered the house and was missing. However, it was eventually determined that all 11 occupants of the residence were able to escape without harm. A working smoke alarm is credited for alerting the occupants to the fire.
Firefighters also removed an unconscious cat from the fire, were able to resuscitate it, and reunite the pet with it's owner.
The Red Cross was requested to provide relocation assistance for those displaced in the incident.
The cause of the fire was an unattended candle igniting combustible materials resulting in an estimated $19,000 to the building and its contents.
