Nine fire departments battle blaze in Madison. Teen helps woman as smoke increases.
MARGIE TRAX PAGE
MADISON - - Emergency vehicles lined Burns Road Sunday afternoon as nine fire departments from three counties responded to a structure fire across the street from Madison High School.
The fire claimed four condominium units at the Middle Ridge Condominium complex, though no one was injured, Madison Firefighter Thomas Perko said.
Madison firefighters and emergency crews arrived on the scene at 3:14 p.m. and heavy saw smoke coming from the building's roof. The call for mutual aid was immediate, Perko said.
"We tried to contain the fire as much as possible, though it spread to all four units. It was important that we have enough help so it wouldn't spread further," Perko said.
Geneva, Harpersfield Township, Saybrook Township, Painesville, Painesville Township, Perry Township, Mentor and Thompson fire departments responded to the call.
Perko called the damage, "total."
Firefighters from each department went into the burning structure in turn, fighting the flames in the building's gabled roof from the inside. Firefighters created vents in the structure and forced water between the walls and the vinyl siding in their effort to extinguish the flames.
Firefighters inside the building worked as the roof collapsed above them. Firefighters outside dodged chunks of charred debris and globs of melting siding blown outward by the force of the water hoses.
The fire was reminiscent of a 1999 fire at the same complex, Perko said.
"We worked to contain (the fire) to this building. There are a lot of surrounding structures to worry about," he said.
The fire, which was under control at 4:11 p.m., will be investigated by the Ohio fire marshal, Perko said. A dollar loss has not been determined, fire officials say.
Teen helps woman as smoke increases
By MARGIE TRAX PAGE
Staff Writer
mtrax@starbeacon.com
MADISON - - The knock on Shirley Judd's door Sunday afternoon sounded impatient and urgent.
"I was downstairs at my desk and I heard this knocking and there was this boy who said my condo was on fire," Judd said.
The boy, 15-year-old Taylor Blystone, spotted smoke from his nearby condominium building in the Middle Ridge Condominium complex on Burns Road and knew an elderly woman was inside.
Taylor and his mother Terri, Blystone, called 911 and frantically knocked on the building's exterior doors to warn their neighbors about the fire.
Taylor ran through the individual condominiums, calling out to the empty rooms. Eventually he found Judd, who had no idea her residence was on fire.
"I grabbed (Judd's) coat and her oxygen tank and got her out of there as fast as I could. I was only inside for a couple of minutes, but I could barely breathe," he said.
Terri Blystone kept knocking on doors.
"I was shocked at how fast the fire spread. Within five minutes it had doubled; There was smoke everywhere," she said.
Judd sat on a plastic bench and watched her home of 30 years burn. Though she was initially optimistic and grateful that the fire had not started in her unit, her confidence quickly faded as the fire spread.
"See that hole in the roof? That is where my bedroom was," she said.
Gray smoke billowed from the attic vents and out of the rain gutters as the roof gave way, creating sunken holes in the eaves. The firefighters dragged Judd's mattress outside to saturate it with water.
Madison Firefighter Thomas Perko called the damage, "total."
"This is unbelievable," Judd said.
Many complex residents stood outside and watched as the heat shattered the windows and the vinyl siding melted from the walls.
After the fire was controlled, firefighters gathered as many of Judd's prescription bottles as possible and even saved an armful of framed pictures from Judd's shelves.
Kerri Kennison, 13, saved her most precious possession: Her black and white cat, Minnie.
"Everything was sort of hazy inside and we realized it was a fire. We grabbed Minnie and we got out of there," father Jim Kennison said.
In his haste to find his daughter's cat, Jim Kennison left behind every single thing he owned.
"I am concerned about our electronics. We don't have any insurance so I don't think we will be able to replace anything that is damaged or ruined," he said.
Kerri Kennison now only owns the clothes on her back. Her father hopes some people will come forward to help his teenage daughter build a wardrobe and replace her belongings.
