Fire strikes home, man escapes

A resident suffered a burned hand but escaped a house fire that broke out the morning of Dec. 16, according to the Vermilion Township Fire Department.

About 9:44 a.m., a passerby called the department to report smoke coming out of the front door of 14215 Darrow Road, said Chief Frank Triana.

He and the first fire truck responded within minutes and found light gray smoke coming from the eaves of the front and the east side of the home.

Firefighters attacked through the front door and found a chair on fire. They began spraying water about 9:53 a.m. and extinguished the flames by 10:01 a.m., Triana said.

“The fire was out in just a few minutes,” he said.

The resident, a 69-yearold man, said he was in the kitchen preparing breakfast when he smelled smoke coming from the living room at the front of the house, where it appeared an ashtray on the floor caught fire.

The resident suffered a burn on the left hand while trying to put out the flames, Triana said.

The house sustained smoke and water damage to the living room and kitchen areas and was boarded up on Dec. 16, the chief said. The department did not assign a dollar value to the loss but it appeared the home may be restorable, Triana said.

The Erie County Sheriff’s Office issued a notice stating Darrow Road was closed between Thompson and Cemetery roads while the fire department was working at the scene.

The fire department responded with a total of two engines, a tanker and a rescue squad and left the home about 10:49 a.m., Triana said.