There were no injuries caused after a home in the 2200 block of Monroe Avenue caught fire on Thursday afternoon, according to Owensboro Fire Department officials. Two additional homes were damaged due to the strength of the flames.
Battalion Chief Steve Leonard said that the OFD team arrived 2 minutes after the fire was called in to dispatch. Upon arriving the roof had already been burned off due to the flames.
“It was a loss upon arrival,” Leonard said.
Because of the size of the fire, he noted they had to call in multiple ladder trucks and firefighters to combat the fire.
“We had the equivalent of a second alarm fire here where we had additional ladder trucks and additional engines coming. … We called an additional apparatus as well as pumpers and personnel. All of that coupled together makes quick work of the fire,” he said.
Leonard noted the fire had already spread through the house and was starting to cause damage to the homes directly neighboring the one engulfed in flames.
“We had to protect the exposures as well as deal with a fully involved structure. All that being said we were able to bring this fire under control in about 10 or 12 minutes,” Leonard said.
The fire is still under investigation but it is currently believed to be accidental, Leonard noted.
With how quickly the team was able to stop the fire, Leonard said they prevented major damage and potentially a string of fires from taking neighboring homes.
“It appears at this point that the only thing that occurred was some melting in the vinyl siding. So very minimal damage,” Leonard noted.
Also assisting on the scene were the Owensboro Police Department, AMR Ambulance, Atmos Energy, Owensboro Municipal Utilities, and Red Cross.
