Attic fire causes roof to collapse

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On Sunday evening, several fire departments in Fayette County responded to a Washington C.H. house fire—including Concord-Green, Jeffersonville, Wayne Township and Bloomingburg.

Box65—a volunteer scene support group that provides various types of assistance such as refreshments and shelter to first responders—responded to the scene to provide support.

According to the report from the Washington Fire Department, they arrived on scene at 6:47 p.m. The fire started in the attic of a one-story home located at 1097 Genevieve Drive N.W. near Heritage Memorial Church.

Upon arriving at the scene, responders observed smoke coming from the roof. The responders were able to fight the fire by using the attic access located in the garage and from the left-side of the roof overhanging the house, according to the report.

When the fire caused part of the roof to collapse inward, flames came out of the collapsed area, according to the report. The fire was under control at 7:48 p.m.

The believed cause of the fire was an electrical problem. There were no hazardous materials released by the fire. No injuries were reported.

The final responders left the scene at 9:55 p.m.

Chief Tim Downing of the Washington Fire Department explained the persons impacted by the fire refused help from the Red Cross as they seemed content to receive help from their family.

Downing said, “The gentleman who were out there fighting fires did a fantastic job trying to minimize the damage to personal effects as best they could, seeing as how advanced the fire was in the attic. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Downing explained the firefighters took the time to clean some of the debris out of the house before leaving. They did this so the family could make their way through the home to collect some of their belongings.

“These guys really look at it as if it’s their own family and how they would want someone to treat their families if the problem was in their home. They take it very seriously, and they do the very best they can to help out in anyway possible,” Downing said.

Downing complimented the teamwork between the departments and said, ”There’s no way we could do it if we didn’t have each other.”

Reach Jennifer Woods at 740-313-0355.

An attic fire on Sunday caused part of a home’s roof to collapse inward. The cause of the fire is believed to have been an electrical problem, according to a report from the Washington Fire Department.
https://www.recordherald.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/27/2019/06/web1_06.2019AtticFireGenevieve.jpgAn attic fire on Sunday caused part of a home’s roof to collapse inward. The cause of the fire is believed to have been an electrical problem, according to a report from the Washington Fire Department. Jennifer Woods | Record-Herald photo

By Jennifer Woods

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