07/23/2011 – Structure Fire – “B” Shift

Incident # 11-04057 – Firefighters were called to 1123 Saint Peters Road at 00:17 Saturday morning 23-July, for a reported fire in a bedroom. Engine 19 arrived at the rural residence ten minutes later to find light smoke coming from the approximately  10,500 square foot three story home with flames visible from the rear of the structure. The occupants had been alerted to the fire by the residential smoke alarms inside the building. Everyone was able to escape uninjured. Firefighters made entry through the front door with one 1-3/4 handline, encountering extreme heat, heavy black smoke with zero visibility and heavy fire in the hallway to the left.  A second 1-3/4 line was deployed as backup, as fire began to lap around the front porch threatening to cutoff the interior crews.  A second alarm was issued at 00:38.

The interior crew was able to knock down the fire in the hallway, but were temporarily driven out of the building by the extreme heat. A third crew then used a 2-1/2 line deployed to the rear of the building to mount an attack from the exterior.  The second crew continued to use an 1-3/4 line on the front of the structure along the wraparound porch. The master bedroom on the “B/C” corner, had a vaulted ceiling and was well involved. All windows to the bedroom had already failed allowing fire to burn the exterior of the second story. Fire had also entered the attic space above the master bedroom. The 2-1/2 line was able to knock down the bulk of the fire in the bedroom within approximately 8 minutes, allowing interior crews to reenter the building from the front door. One crew worked on the first floor, entering the master bedroom, while the second went the second floor to check for extension. A fourth crew used thermal impinging cameras to search the large residence. No occupants were found in the building.

As additional personnel began arriving, firefighters were assigned to pull siding from the “B” side of the building. Interior crews found a great deal of fire in the “B” side walls and began pulling sheetrock and ceilings to reach the flames. Firefighters used chainsaws to cut away the exterior siding from the “B” side attic area to extinguish the fire there. The home had a basement that reached under the entire home. It was divided into multiple rooms. No fire reached the basement, but the area received heavy smoke damage. The fire was contained to the “B” side of the building, heavily damaging the master bedroom. The remainder of the home suffered heat and smoke damage. One firefighter was treated at the scene for a heat related injury. He did not require transportation to the hospital. Water supply was conducted with a Tender shuttle. Fire units were on the scene for five hours. The cause of the fire has been determined to be a candle on a nightstand in the master bedroom.