Firefighters from the City of Bellbrook extinguished a house fire Wednesday evening, but only after the fire caused $26,000 damage.

As strong storms pounded the area, a lightning strike hit a tree next to the residence at 4465 Moss Oak Trail and chased into the roof, sparking a fire in the attic. A resident several doors down noted smoke coming from the structure and notified City of Bellbrook Communications.

Firefighters were dispatched at 1842 hours, including two engines, a ladder, a heavy rescue, a medic and multiple support units. Ladder 2 and Attack 2 arrived two minutes later to find smoke pouring from the attic.

The smoke quickly turned to fire as crews advanced two handlines and made access into the attic, leading to the extinguishment of the fire. Additional crews utilized fans to eject the smoke from the structure and tarps to cover up the resident's belongings.

"A very rapid response certainly averted what could have been much worse," Chief Scott Hall said. "We had a large majority of the department here, almost all of whom were volunteers, who really did make the difference."

Many department members were already on station, called to staff equipment during the inclement weather. A recall of volunteer personnel occurs any time a weather warning is issued.

"We prepare for emergencies during bad weather by increasing staffing," Hall said. "We've issued the recall many, many times to prepare for instances just like this."

The fire occurred just hours after the department's new self-contained breathing apparatus were placed in service. The packs were recently acquired to bring many state-of-the-art safety features to the department, including a safety system that is automatically activated when the wearer turns on the bottle.

"We cannot thank the mayor and city council enough," said Lt. Derek Montgomery of the purchase. "The new packs not only help keep us safe during the emergency, but they weigh less than 20 pounds and are extremely comfortable, allowing us to work longer in the hazardous environment."

Twenty-four firefighters were called to the incident, including a crew from Sugarcreek Township to assist with safety on the fireground. No injuries to civilians or personnel were reported.

Release F-00-258
June 15, 2000