keep combustibles at least 3 feet away from sources of heat: Fire contained on 1112 Plum Street in
Lincoln, Nebraska. The fire may have
started with
cardboard that was too close to a space heater.
Lincoln
firefighters assist a fellow firefighter out of a basement window on the
scene of a fire at 1112 Plum St. on Thursday.
Smoke
and flames interrupted a Lincoln family’s celebration of the New Year Thursday
evening and one firefighter suffered a minor injury while working the fire.
The
Strilkivsky family had gathered upstairs in the white, two-story
house at 1112 Plum St. and put some pizza in the oven just before 6:30. There
were about eight people there, said Paul Strilkivsky, who along with his
sister, Natalya Strilkivsky, had recently bought the house from their father.
They
smelled smoke and thought it was just something on the bottom of the oven
burning. But the smell got worse. Paul and his brother went to
investigate as the rest of the party evacuated.
They
found heavy smoke and flames in the basement.
Paul
Strilkivsky said that when he got outside moments later flames could be seen
coming from basement windows on the west and south sides of the house. The heat
melted siding on both sides.
Firefighters
arrived at 6:37,attacked the fire from outside of the house and then moved
inside. It was declared under control by 6:47 p.m., Battalion Chief
Jeanne Pashalek said.
Pashalek
said one firefighter may have been shocked by a low-voltage source, such
as an extension cord. He was taken to an area hospital and kept overnight for
evaluation. His injury was considered minor. His name was not released.
Fire
and smoke caused about $25,000 to the home, which was not habitable due to
smoke damage, said city Fire Inspector Damon Robbins.
He
described the fire as unintentional and said it burned mainly belongings like
clothes, paper and cardboard in the southwest corner of the basement. It likely
was started with cardboard that was too close to a space heater, he said.
Four
of the Strilkivskys lived on the upper floor of the house and were renovating
the basement and first floor. Permits for the work were posted. There was no
heat or electricity on the lower levels. They had run extension cords to space
heaters on those floors to prevent pipes from bursting.
Robbins
said he did not see smoke alarms in the house and it was a good thing the fire
happened during the day. Had the fire broke out while people slept, he said,
there could have been fatalities.
Paul
Strilkivsky said they have home insurance.