ALTON – The Alton Fire Department had a busy early Thursday morning, fighting two fires, and in both cases, the quick action of the firefighters saved the homes.
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The first fire call came in at 2:12 a.m. at 1025 College Ave., then the second occurred at 5:17 a.m. at 1814 Ervay St.
The back of the structure at 1025 College Ave. caught fire and residents were awakened by smoke detectors, Alton Fire Department Chief Bernie Sebold said late Thursday morning.
Sebold said it appears the 1025 College Ave. fire was ignited on a covered back porch. The fire then eventually made it to the attic and rafters of the home and caused serious damage, but Sebold said he believes the home is salvageable.
“What our guys did was quickly knock the fire down with a one-hose line with the outside and went into the home and made a couple holes in the kitchen ceiling and living room ceiling so they could extinguish any further extension of the fire. We were still on the scene until about 4:30 a.m.”
There was no rest for the Alton Fire Department because at 5:17 a.m., the second call came in and they immediately responded to Ervay Street.
“The one on Ervay was a vacant house under renovation,” Sebold said. “One of the neighbors smelled some smoke coming from the roof. We left the scene at College and when we arrived (on Ervay Street) there was smoke showing from the roof of the home. It was light-colored smoke with no visible flame. Firefighters had to force open the front door and could quickly determine with a thermal imaging camera that rafters were burned away in the attic space.”
Sebold said the Alton firemen used about 50 gallons of water to extinguish that fire.
“That one went out quickly because it was primarily confined to the attic space,” he said. “The man who owns the home lives next door and he has taken the time to invest his labor and money to make the neighborhood nicer. The quick response of our guys and the neighbor smelling the smoke and calling 9-1-1 minimized the damage. The home is completely repairable.”
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