Three displaced in Jan. 9 house fire

Burning candle caused fire, resident says

An early evening fire Jan. 9 in Lorain displaced three adults, a dog and three cats.

Firefighters were called at 7:02 p.m. to 837 W. 13th St.

On arrival, they observed “a glow in a secondfloor window,” according to a Lorain Fire Department report.

Occupants out safely

All of the occupants made it out of the house safely, Lorain fire Assistant Chief Matt Homolya said, and were outside when firefighters arrived.

A resident at the home said a burning candle in a second-floor bedroom started the fire.

Chief says call first

The homeowner attempted to put out the fire, but couldn’t, Homolya said.

“Unfortunately, that delayed our response,” he said.

Homolya said it’s a natural reaction to try to put out a fire, but warned homeowners to not try for “too long” and call for help “as soon as you can.”

“Due to the smoke damage and the electrical power having to be secured, they weren’t able to return home,” he said.

It took firefighters about 10 minutes to get the fire under control, Homolya said.

Red Cross helping

The American Red Cross of North Central Ohio provided temporary housing for the displaced residents.

The estimated cost of damages to the home was not available.

The residents will be able to return to the home, but it will need an extensive cleaning first, officials said.

“That’s one of the bigger issues you have with a fire,” Homolya said. “The smoke damage just covers everything, clothes, just everything is saturated with that smoke damage.”

And there’s typically also a lot of water damage, as well, he added.

In the case of this fire, the homeowners did have insurance, so they’ll likely be able to employ a company that specializes in residential disaster cleanup.

“They’ll remove any carpeting or drywall and dry it out,” Homolya said. “They’ll clean all the walls.

“The house will be inhabitable once it’s restored.”