A group of kindergartener’s tour of the Golden Fire Hall was interrupted Thursday morning when firefighters were called to the scene of a house fire.
The fire was at a home on the corner of 10th Ave. S and 13th. St. S. Because several members of the department were already at the station for the tour, the team’s response was extremely quick. Unfortunately, a miscommunication on the call led firefighters to the wrong address. Fire Chief Ken McClure wasn’t sure where the error came from, but stressed how important it is for callers to speak clearly and accurately when speaking to 911 dispatchers.
Despite that setback, McClure’s crew was still able to arrive at the house quickly and save the structure, although much of the interior sustained heavy damage.
“Most of the flames were contained to the inside of the structure, there was a lot of heavy smoke as well,” McClure said. “The flames were combated very quickly by the firefighters. We were able to distinguish it fast and not allow it to spread from the time of the fire department arriving on the scene.”
The department’s biggest obstacle during the operation were the numerous objects and items throughout the home that got in their way.
“The storage of materials made it difficult for the firefighters to act on the fire,” McClure said.
Fire & Rescue spent five hours on the scene, although the fire was subdued within two hours. No cause had been determined as of Friday afternoon, although McClure said it did not appear to be suspicious.
