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ASHTABULA CITY firefighters battle a stubborn blaze Thursday at 1221 W. 6th St.
All safe
Apartment complex destroyed in massive fire
By MEGAN POINSKI
Staff Writer
ASHTABULA - Annie Been silently stood away from the house she lived in, watching
smoke pour out of the windows and tongues of fire lick the ceiling.
"I'm just in shock," she finally said.
The three-apartment house at 1221 W. 6th St. was destroyed by a fire that
started in the basement and quickly spread to the attic, Lt. Shawn Gruber of the
Ashtabula Fire Department said. Damages are estimated at $60,000 property and
$24,000 to $27,000 contents, according to the fire report.
The report said the fire department received the alarm at 11:47 a.m. and was on
the scene five minutes later. The fire was under control at 1:35 p.m., and the
last units left at 5 p.m. Seventeen members of the Ashtabula Fire Department and
five members of the Ashtabula Township Fire Department responded to the alarm.
Gruber said some fire personnel had returned to the scene Thursday evening to
take another look at the charred structure. No cause had been determined
Thursday night.
All people and animals living in the house escaped safely. Two firefighters
received minor injuries, the report said. One sprained his knee and another
received a cut on his thigh.
Been came to the scene from work, but several of the building's residents were
home. They said they heard a loud boom coming from the basement.
"It was right under our apartment," said Wendy Melaragno. "It sounded like a
dresser fell, a big dresser. Joe Baldwin, her fiancé, went to look downstairs
and came back, saying, 'There's a fire! Get out!'"
Judi Miller, Been's roommate, was also at home. A ring at her doorbell alerted
her to the fire.
"It wasn't your ordinary house fire because of the way it (the structure) was
constructed," Gruber said.
After the fire started in the basement, the report said, the flames quickly
spread to the walls. The structure was "balloon construction," meaning the walls
are hollow with nothing to stop a fire. Flames went through the roof and out the
back windows while several spectators watched. Firefighters both went into the
house and on top of the roof in ladder trucks to extinguish the blaze and
ventilate the fire. Gruber said several layers of plywood, drywall and other
wall coverings made it difficult for firefighters to penetrate the structure.
The neighboring house, at 1227 W. 6th St., is about 10 feet away. Firefighters
used water from a hose to prevent the fire from spreading there. According to a
fire department report, the radiant heat melted the house's vinyl siding,
causing about $5,000 in damages. Gruber said he had not yet heard of any smoke
or water damages to the house Thursday evening.
Owner of the apartments, Scott Lester, said the entire structure had been
completely renovated about two years ago. The basement had a laundry room,
storage space and hot water heaters and did not know of any problems, according
to Lester. The structure was insured, but Lester was not sure what would be
covered.
"Everyone got out safely, and that's all that matters," Lester said.
Gruber said the residents had been put in touch with Red Cross for temporary
housing.
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