Firefighters save two homes on Oakwood in Alton with quick efforts

May 23, 2018 1:43 PM May 24, 2018 9:43 AM

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ALTON - A heroic effort by the Alton Fire Department members saved a pair of homes in the 600 block of Oakwood early Wednesday afternoon.

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Godrey Fire Protection District members were called in to assist.

Alton Fire Chief Bernie Sebold said the fire broke out at a home on Oakwood in Alton around noontime and caused damage to the garage side of the house and that was ultimately contained. The house next door’s vinyl siding was exposed to heat and melting. Without the fire department’s efforts would have been heavily damaged.

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“We haven’t done a full investigation and we are still getting out hot spots, but from what we were told shortly after 12, a homeowner came home and parked her car in the garage and she went inside and closed the garage,” Alton Fire Chief Sebold said. “The woman told her husband something smelled funny. After that, someone knocked on the door and said their house was on fire. The couple had the car in the shop the day before and the man thought initially it was related to that.”

Thankfully, the homeowners escaped the home safely before firefighters arrived. Sebold said the right side of the structure that burned has significant damage, but appears repairable.

“By the quick action of the firefighters, flames were knocked down and the other house was protected from further damage,” Sebold said. “The other house did not get direct flame contact. The guys did a great job quickly knocking down the heat exposure to the home next door and extinguished the fire to save the original home.”

Sebold said there were not any injuries to homeowners or firefighters during the residential box alarm.