Fire damages North Side house

An enjoyable afternoon on Ed and Arlene Andersons porch turned into a frantic emergency phone call after the couple saw smoke pouring out of their neighbors North Side home Friday afternoon.We were just coming out here to sit and enjoy this nice weather, and saw smoke rolling out, Mr. Anderson said. My wife ran over to holler at them, to try and get them out of the house. Then we called the Fire Department while they were getting the dogs and everything out.Six crews responded to 1021 Roosevelt Ave. about 1:20 p.m., as smoke rose out of the two-story green house.I was downstairs in the dining room, playing on my laptop, when my nephew upstairs came down and said I smell smoke, said Ronda Carlson, owner of the home. I thought maybe someone was out burning.He went back upstairs, then came back down and said, Aunt Ronda, there is smoke coming out of the attic and the bathroom.Ms. Carlson, her nephew and a family friend gathered the familys three dogs, grabbed antique guns and evacuated the home. Ms. Carlsons husband and another family friend were not at home at the time.Fire crews battled heavy smoke as firefighters ripped through the roof to gain access to the house. Ms. Carlson said the family had been remodeling sections of the 1800s-era home and had additional renovations planned.We just put on a new roof in July, Ms. Carlson said. Well, like my husband said, now we have a new skylight.Joking about the unfortunate circumstances, other family members and friends comforted the family as the tight-knit neighborhood banned together. Fire Inspector Jason Ziph said older wiring in the attic sparked the fire, causing approximately $80,000 in damage.No injuries were reported.Kristin Hoppa can be reached at kristin.hoppa@newspressnow.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SJNPHoppa. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.blog comments powered by

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Fire damages North Side house