Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ed and his family at VGCRepairs.com who lost his home in an unfortunate fire this morning. We are thankful to report that they were not injured. Please keep them in your prayers.
FAIRFIELD — A wind-whipped fire on Thursday destroyed an East Tennessee Street home built at least 50 years ago.
The fire started in a back bedroom and the only resident in the home called 911 and then quickly got out of the house. The first firefighters arriving at the home a few minutes later at 11:24 a.m. described the bedroom as fully engulfed by flames.
Chilly, gusty winds pushed the thick black smoke south as firefighters ran fire hoses to the backyard of the home while the fire spread into the home’s attic.
Within several minutes, flames were shooting several feet above the rooftop as firefighters called a second alarm and a ladder truck started to rise high into the sky above the burning home.
Early into the battle to contain the flames, two firefighters suffered first- and possibly second-degree burn injuries that Chief Vince Webster described as moderate. Other firefighters suffered from mild smoke inhalation. The two firefighters were treated for their injuries at NorthBay Medical Center and released in the afternoon.
The homes behind and next to the burning home were evacuated and a second ladder truck joined the first ladder truck and both ladder trucks were soon spraying thousands of gallons of water onto the blaze that spread through the attic and into other parts of the home.
After nearly 45 minutes of pouring water onto the fire, thousands of gallons of water were cascading out the open front door of the home. Concerns of the aged rooftop collapsing kept firefighters from attacking the fire from inside the home.
It took about an hour to get the fire under control. By then the home had been destroyed.
Off-duty Fairfield firefighters and firefighters from Suisun City, Vacaville and Vallejo provided city coverage during the fire, according to a city news release. The resident received help from the American Red Cross and a Fire Department chaplain to arrange temporary lodging.
