CONNEAUT — A house fire on Fenton Avenue put Conneaut firefighters and a handful of people into sub-freezing temperatures late Thursday afternoon.
Firefighters were dispatched to 331 Fenton at 5:15 p.m., said Conneaut Fire Chief Steve Lee. Occupants, including some pets, escaped safety, he said.
Five people live in the house, but it was not immediately known how many were home at the time, Lee said. Temperature at the time hovered around 14 degrees.
The fire began in a second floor room at the front of the house, Lee said. Flames were basically confined to that room, he said.
"The guys got a pretty good knock on it," Lee said.
Smoke damage was evident upstairs, while the ground floor sustained water damage, he said.Cause of the fire is under investigation, he said.
Crews and equipment from Conneaut stations 1 and 3 were sent to the scene, as well as the ladder truck from Ashtabula Township Fire Department. An agreement between the departments puts the township's big truck into service for every structure fire call in Conneaut.
The ladder truck was turned back before it could arrive at Fenton, Lee said.
Crews were beginning to clear the scene less than two hours after their arrival.
