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Six cats perished in the fire

One person was transported to UW Hospital with non-life threatening injuries after a fire in a single family home which six cats perished. The fire began around 11:49 a.m. at 1409 Acewood Boulevard. The homeowner returned home, discovered the fire, called 911and safely exited to her driveway.

Firefighters arrived to find smoke coming from an open front door of the single family ranch home. Firefighters on Engine 5 entered the home encountering heavy smoke, while Engine 3 laid into their Engine to supply them with water.  Engine 5’s crew worked their way into the basement. They noticed burst water pipes in the basement before locating and extinguishing the fire. Ladder 6 conducted a search and rescue of the first floor, where they found fire had extended up a pipe chase into a bathroom closet. Ladder 6 crew quickly extinguished burning clothes before completing their search.

Crews exited the structure and set up a positive pressure fan to remove the toxic smoke from the home. After clearing the smoke, Engine 13, Ladder 8 and Ladder 6 crews completed overhaul and extinguished remaining hot spots.

33 Fire personnel responded to the structure fire.

Damage to the home is estimated at $75,000 to the structure and $25,000 its contents. The homeowner has insurance.

Fire investigators are on the scene to determine the cause of the basement fire.
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From a firefighting standpoint, basement/cellar fires are one of the most dangerous and challenging fires encountered inside a building. 
They have limited ingress/egress, limited ventilation and drainage problems with attack water. Fire in basements cause rapid increases in heat build up, making these types of fires particularly demanding. 
Interior suppression crews face significant heat during ingress to the seat of the fire while operating in an environment where minimal ventilation causes retention of that heat. This heat in basement fires tends to radiate back on the attack crews.  (Source FireRescue1)
 

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Agency: 
Fire
Area: 
East
Category: 
Health & Safety