Chemicals in a construction crew’s
van might have ignited a fire that spread to a South Ford Road house
where the crew was working, causing heavy damage to the house.
The
county’s nine volunteer fire departments and the Bowling Green Fire
Department responded to the blaze. “The heat was so bad that manpower
was a big issue all day,” said Chief Brad Harper of the Alvaton
Volunteer Fire Department.
Harper’s agency was the first to respond to the blaze about 12:45 p.m.
Source:http://www.bgdailynews.com
A preliminary investigation indicated
the fire started when some chemicals in the construction crew’s van
ignited, Harper said. The van was parked just outside the garage in the
back of the house.
The three-person work crew was refinishing wood floors in the house when the fire started in the van, Harper said.
The crew members made it outside safely. The home’s residents weren’t there when the fire started.
Alvaton
firefighters fought the fire from inside for a short time until
conditions made it too dangerous for anyone to remain inside the house.
Flames
shot through holes in the roof of the house, with thick smoke creating a
haze over much of the Ewing Ford Place neighborhood.
Several onlookers watched as
firefighters set up on all sides of the house, pumping water at the
flames coming from the roof. A number of people brought bottled water
for the firefighters.
A portion
of the roof over the garage collapsed during the fire. Damage was
concentrated on the second floor and attic, while much of the first
floor had water and smoke damage, Harper said.
The
summer heat challenged the firefighters physically, and the structure
of the roof presented another challenge when it came to opening the roof
to allow the firefighters to battle the blaze from outside.
“The
different pitches of the roof made it more difficult for us,” Harper
said. “Whenever the houses are cut up like that, it’s just harder for us
to ventilate.”
Source:http://www.bgdailynews.com