A large house fire in the Madisonville neighborhood of Cincinnati has left two residents without a home and claimed the life of a cat, according to FOX19. The blaze, which resulted in an estimated $325,000 in damages, occurred late Tuesday evening.
The fire, which broke out in the 4700 block of Ward Street at around 8:20 p.m., required the response of more than 44 firefighters to combat the flames that had quickly spread into the walls, second floor, and attic of the residence. Local12 News noted that nearly 50 firefighters were eventually on the scene tackling the extensive fire, which was not contained as of 9:17 p.m., according to officials.
District Fire Chief Mathew Rotert stated, "They quickly realized the fire had spread into the walls, second floor and attic," as reported by FOX19. Crews were pulled out of the building for safety reasons but returned inside to extinguish the fire after knocking down the bulk of the blaze from the outside.
The firefighting efforts were complicated by winter weather conditions, yet no firefighters were reported injured. "Crew remained on scene overnight, digging out hot spots," Rotert revealed, noting the tragic discovery of a cat found dead on the second floor. In the wake of the incident, the American Red Cross is providing aid to the displaced individuals, as mentioned by both FOX19 and WLWT, which also showed a photo from the scene with visible flames and significant damage to the home.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Both the number of firefighters involved and the financial toll of the damage align between the reports from FOX19, Local 12 News, and WLWT.
