Fire damages duplex on West Fulton Street
Residents of a duplex at 317 W. Fulton St. escaped without injuries from a fire that started on the back porch and spread to the attic late Friday afternoon.
A city firefighter suffered heat exhaustion and was taken to Butler Memorial Hospital.
The fire was reported just before 4 p.m. and the rear of the two-story, brick building was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.
“The first floor back porch was heavily involved. It ran up into the attic,” said Capt. Jim Kaufman of the Butler Fire Department.
Firefighters had the fire under control within 15 minutes, he said.
One of the first floor tenants heard an explosion come from the rear of the home and saw flames, Kaufman said.
A state police fire marshal will investigate the cause of the fire on Monday, he said.
Two people live in the first floor apartment and one person lives on the second floor.
The first floor tenants were identified as Patricia Miller and Thomas Christy. Miller was home at the time and she escaped with her dog unharmed.
The second floor tenant, who was not identified, escaped safely, but he took his dog to a veterinarian, Kaufman said.
He said the Red Cross is assisting the tenants.
Next door neighbors and brothers Caleb Edgar and John MacGregor said they had just driven up to their home and heard a crackling sound and saw smoke when they got out of their vehicle.
Edgar said he threw buckets of water on the fire, MacGregor called 911 and other neighbors knocked on the tenants doors to see if anyone was inside.
“I threw (MacGregor) my phone, told him to call 911 and started throwing water on it,” Edgar said.
He said he got the water from his outdoor spigot and carried it next door, but stopped after he heard an explosion on the porch.
Kaufman said a grill with a small propane canister was the likely source of the explosion. The tenants told him they hadn't used the grill in a long time.
Firefighters cleared the scene at 6:15 p.m.
