HARPERSFIELD TOWNSHIP firefighter Greg Henry tosses smoldering linens and chunks of insulation out the window of 339 Eastwood St. in Geneva Thursday afternoon. / MARGIE PAGE
Published August 21, 2008 11:19 pm - Black smoke drifted down Eastwood Street Thursday, blowing into Evergreen Cemetery and filling the space between the tombstones as firefighters worked in the August heat to save a burning house.
Heat plagues firefighters at Geneva home Saybrook, Harpersfield Madison help battle blaze; damages hit $50,000
By MARGIE TRAX PAGE - Staff Writer - mtrax@starbeacon.com Star Beacon
GENEVA — Black smoke drifted down Eastwood Street Thursday, blowing into Evergreen Cemetery and filling the space between the tombstones as firefighters worked in the August heat to save a burning house.
Two adults and one child were in the first floor of the house at 339 Eastwood St. at 2:06 p.m. when a fire broke out upstairs. The people smelled smoke and ran from the house as firefighters from Geneva, Saybrook Township, Harpersfield Township and Madison worked for almost an hour to bring the fire under control, Geneva Fire Department Capt. Dennis Crawford said.
The house, occupied by Denalda Page, sustained an estimated $30,000 in structural damage and $20,000 to the contents, Crawford said.
Saybrook Township firefighters Dave Peterson and Dan Goodale climbed the ladder truck to chop ventilation holes in the roof as Harpersfield Township firefighter Greg Henry tossed smoldering linens and chunks of insulation out the upstairs window. To better ventilate the house, firefighters broke every upstairs window with axes, Crawford said.
“There is heat and water damage throughout the structure,” he said.
The fire started upstairs, Crawford said, but the cause of the fire is unknown pending investigation, he said.
Firefighters used industrial fans to clear the smoke from the house and rolled up their water hoses and cleared the scene at 5:30 p.m., Crawford said.
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