Cages donated to shelter pets after fire
Many members of the Topton-area community stepped up with their big hearts and animal cages in the aftermath of a twoalarm fire that required the rescue of pets.
“I can’t thank our community enough,” Topton Fire Company Chief Jason Robinson said Monday, April 19. “When we started rescuing some of the animals, one of our community members put a blurb (via social media) to get animal cages. Our community stepped up and all of the sudden we have more cages than we need for the animals.
“We thank them all. Everyone worked together, and we accomplished our goal.”
No one was home Friday night, April 16, when the fire broke out on the firstfloor kitchen area in the rear part of the home in the first block of East Washington Street, Robinson said. A neighbor in an adjoining home saw smoke and called 9-1-1 about 9 p.m.
Crews arrived to find heavy smoke in the front of the house and flames shooting out the back of the structure. The flames were spreading rapidly and already had reached the second floor, threatening to spread to the adjoining homes on either side.
A second alarm was struck to draw more crews.
The first arriving crew in the front of the home mounted an interior attack with a hand-held line. The first crew in the back of the row focused on stopping the spread of flames along the exterior, Robinson said.
“It was a very aggressive attack by the crews,” Robinson said. “They did a heckuva job and got it knocked down before it could spread to either side of the structure.”
No residents were in the blaze.
Firefighters rescued one of the dogs after knocking down the flames, but another dog in the same home perished in the smoke-filled injured house, Robinson said.
Many other animals were rescued from a home that adjoins the house that was on fire, the chief said. They included lizards and other reptiles and small pets such as guinea pigs.
The reptiles require special care, and some were still being sheltered and cared for through the weekend in various homes, the chief said.
The residents in the homes on either side of the fire-damage building were briefly displaced by the smoke, but were able to return Saturday morning after cleanup of water and smoke.
The home where the fire started appears to be a total loss, Robinson said. He didn’t have a damage estimate.
The homeowner and her daughter are staying with friends nearby, the chief said.
A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause.
“I can’t thank our community enough. When we started rescuing some of the animals, one of our community members put a blurb (via social media) to get animal cages. Our community stepped up and all of the sudden we have more cages than we need for the animals.” — Topton Fire Company Chief Jason Robinson