By Beacon Staff
Burlington
firefighters responded to two fires within 20 minutes of each other
Friday morning, Jan. 7, and neither blaze resulted in injuries.
The
first fire was called in at 8 a.m. at 1428 Cleveland Ave. Burlington
firefighters arrived six minutes later to find a smoldering fire in the
upper story of the house. Residents had made attempts to extinguish the
fire using a garden hose.
The single-family home, owned and
occupied by Curtis Heath, sustained an estimated $1,000 in damage to the
structure and $500 in damages to contents.
The fire started in
the upstairs of the residence when embers from a coal burning fireplace
ignited nearby objects. The homeowner was not present when the fire
department arrived. Two other occupants of the home were able to escape
without injury and have been assisted by the American Red Cross.
Twelve
Burlington firefighters responded to the initial call. West Burlington
firefighters were responding on automatic aid but were canceled en
route. Burlington Police assisted displaced residents at the scene.
Firefighters cleared the scene at 9 a.m.
The Second House Fire
Nineteen
minutes later, at 8:19 a.m., Burlington firefighters responded to a
report of smoke coming from the roof of a home at 1705 Olive St.
The
firefighters, some who were responding from the previous fire scene that
was still active, arrived at 8:21 a.m. to find a small fire in the
attic of the single-family rental home.
One woman had been inside the house and not aware of the fire until alerted by neighbors. She was able to safely escape.
The
rental home is owned by Betty Weinreich of Lomax, Ill., and is occupied
by Dawn Bennick. Damage is estimated at $5,000 to the structure and
$1,000 to contents; the house is insured. There were no working smoke
detectors in the house.
The fire was caused by overloaded electrical wiring due to the use of a space heater and is considered accidental.
Six
Burlington firefighters initially responded to the call, with West
Burlington firefighters responding on automatic aid. Additional
firefighters responded as they became available from the previous fire
scene. Burlington Police and Alliant Energy assisted at the scene.
Firefighters cleared the scene at 9:36 a.m.