PIKE TOWNSHIP — It took firefighters from three counties to battle the flames that engulfed two homes in Pike Township Tuesday afternoon.
One woman was hurt, transported to Mansfield MedCentral and later to Columbus at Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Both homes were a total loss, leaving the residents displaced. The American Red Cross was contacted to assist the family.
According to the Fredericktown Community Fire District, CH411, CH412, E419, E413, T417, G412, G414 were dispatched at 3:33 p.m. on to the 18000 block of Mishey Road in Pike Township on the report of a house fire with flames showing.
The initial 911 call came from a neighbor and radio traffic indicated there was someone inside the two-story residence. Due to the remote area and the initial information from the caller, mutual-aid was requested immediately.
Upon arrival, Fredericktown Community Fire District Chief Scott Mast found the house to the west was fully involved and the high winds were blowing the flames horizontally into the house on the east and already beginning to extend. It was determined after crews arrived that there was an all-clear on the residences and that the occupant of the home who was injured was treated by EMS.
“With the wind conditions out there, it was a task to try and keep the fire off of the house to the east,” Mast said.
Mutual-aid came from Jefferson Township (Richland County), Worthington Township (Richland County), College Township, and the Eastern Knox County Joint Fire District in the form of tankers and engines. The Johnsville Fire Department (Morrow County) responded with a tanker, rescue, manpower and additional air (SCBA) bottles as the supply on scene was exhausted. Two medic units from Fredericktown EMS also responded.
“Getting all of the additional resources out there to fight two house fires at once in that particular area is a challenge,” Mast said. “The lack of firefighters initially available hindered the attack on the fire.”
The initial attack was defensive at first, where crews first worked to slow down the fire on the west residence and protect the home to the east. The first two arriving apparatus were not fully staffed.
When enough personnel were available on scene, firefighters were able to transition and make entry to the east house to begin attacking the fire.
A mixture of 1 3/4” hand lines, 2 1/2” lines, and master streams were utilized in suppression on the scene. At one point, due to conditions inside the house to the east, the air horns were sounded and a transition was made back to a defensive attack.
High winds throughout the course of the incident drastically affected the outcome of this call, fire officials reported. Winds in the northern part of Knox County were 17 mph sustained, with gusts to 32 mph.
Scene safety early on was hindered with natural gas meters that could not be shut off immediately and continued to blow flames next to the home for an extended period of time. According to Mast, it took a lengthy period of time to get the gas shut off as the valves that needed to be located were buried in the yard.
It took a significant time to get the situation under control and to overhaul to look for fire extension into the house to the east, he said.
The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental, and no further investigation is underway.
“The occupant in the house to the west fell asleep smoking in her chair, woke up to the chair on fire, attempted to put the fire out and was unsuccessful,” Mast said. “She managed to get herself out before we arrived on scene but did suffer burns.”
Water supply operations were setup at two nearby dry hydrants with no issues. A significant amount of water and foam were used to get the fire extinguished, fire officials reported.
Mast stated that Fredericktown Cadets who responded to the call deserved special mention.
“Our cadets are amazing, what a great set of hands they are. They were a huge help out there,” Lt. Kevin Suain said. “We had them (fire cadets) getting tools left and right, changing air bottles, dragging hose lines, and helping out wherever they could, they were a big help to us.”
The FCFD had a total of 18 firefighters and five fire cadets respond to this call by the time the scene was complete. All FCFD units were back in quarters by 11:12 p.m. with a lengthy cleanup time at the firehouse to prepare for the next call.
The Fredericktown Community Fire District operates from two stations within the 115 square mile district in northwest Knox County. Fire and rescue services are provided by a team of 25 firefighters with varying levels of experience from the basic 36-hour to the 240-hour professional firefighter certification.
