Authorities responded to an attic fire at 421 N. Fourth St. around 7:10 a.m. Thursday.
There were two occupants in the house at the time: Karin and Brad Hill. Roused from sleep by the crackle of the flames, the couple exited the house and immediately contacted authorities.
“I could hear it [fire] come out of the ceiling,” Karin said. “It woke me up.”
Brad saw flames licking out of the air vent in the ceiling of the bedroom and the bathroom on the second floor.
It took five minutes for smoke to began filling the second floor, Brad said.
“I was amazed at how fast the upstairs filled with smoke,” he said.
Neither was injured. They said they have lived in the house for the past 11 years.
Fire trucks from Niles Township and Niles City fire departments responded in addition to a SMCAS ambulance and the Niles police.
With his face spotted with soot, Brad watched from outside his home as firefighters utilized an industrial sized vacuum and hoses to remove insulation from the attic.
This process assures that there would be no re-kindling, said Niles Fire Captain Don Wise. The attic of the approximately 100-year-old home was filled with 18 inches of blown-in insulation. Since the material has the potential to smolder and transfer heat that could cause more fire, the authorities needed to remove the insulation, which was collected in large plastic bags.
Firefighters also brought out buckets of debris, containing burned clothing and drywall.
While authorities did not yet know the cause of the fire at that time, electrical issues were suspected, Wise said.
Damages to the home include smoke damage throughout the second floor. Authorities also had to ram open the ceiling to treat the fire, so dry wall would need to be replaced. There was also the loss of a computer monitor and clothing.
Fire Chief Larry Lamb said he expected there to be approximately $10,000 worth of claimable damage.
Brad praised the team of firefighters for responding quickly and minimizing damage.
“Any second we can save is a lot to the homeowner,” Lamb said.