Trish Bennett, Editor
ASHVILLE – An Ashville couple arrived home Saturday night to find a fire burning in the attic of their Glenn Road home.
Fire crews were called about 8:25 p.m. to the home at 236 Glenn Rd. after homeowners Roger and Marsha Clark opened the door to find the residence filled with smoke, according to Chief Eric Edgington, Harrison Township Fire Department.
Edgington said the preliminary investigation suggests the fire began in a light box over the kitchen sink and traveled upward into the attic.
“There was hoards of insulation up there, and it just smolders,” he said. “It must have been burning a while in the attic, and when the door opened, it just fed more oxygen to the fire.”
Edgington said the aftermath of the fire was the biggest job, requiring many firefighters to tear out the ash, dust and smoldering insulation from the attic and carry it outside.
“They’re wearing all that gear and those heavy air packs, and they’re in there working,” Edgington said at the scene. “It takes so many people to do this, and they have to come out frequently and do rehab.”
Firefighters also had to wear breathing masks to avoid inhaling possibly harmful chemicals from the insulation, he said.
Crews from Harrison Township were assisted at the scene by firefighters from Pickaway Township and Scioto Township fire departments, as well as a medic from the Circleville Fire Department.
Box65 also assisted firefighters at the scene, providing food, water and other essentials to keep them going throughout the evening.
Edgington said fire crews would clear out as much of the debris as possible Saturday night, then the couple’s insurance company would coordinate the remaining clean-up.
No injuries were reported at the scene.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
