Firefighters battle duplex fire in Plain Township

Ed Balint
Updated ·2 min read
A firefighter extinguishes a fire Saturday afternoon at a duplex on Millvale Avenue NE in Plain Township.
A firefighter extinguishes a fire Saturday afternoon at a duplex on Millvale Avenue NE in Plain Township.

PLAIN TWP. – A vehicle fire spread to a duplex Saturday afternoon, causing extensive damage to the structure at 3693 Millvale Ave. NE and displacing two families.

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No one was injured, Plain Township Fire Chief Chuck Shalenberger said. Other fire departments, including Canton, Osnaburg and Louisville, responded about 3:30 p.m.

Firefighters had the blaze under control in about 20 minutes, Shalenberger said at the scene. The home was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived, he said.

A Plain Township firefighter talks with a woman who lived in a duplex at 3693 Millvale Ave. NE that caught fire Saturday afternoon. Nobody was injured, but extensive damage was caused to the home.
A Plain Township firefighter talks with a woman who lived in a duplex at 3693 Millvale Ave. NE that caught fire Saturday afternoon. Nobody was injured, but extensive damage was caused to the home.
Firefighters battled a blaze Saturday afternoon at a duplex on Millvale Avenue NE in Plain Township. No one was injured.
Firefighters battled a blaze Saturday afternoon at a duplex on Millvale Avenue NE in Plain Township. No one was injured.

As firefighters continued to spray water on the multi-story house, Essence Vance stood in a parking lot across from the home where she lived with her 8-year-old daughter. Another family also lived in the duplex, she said.

Family members consoled the daughter who was crying because their cat had died in the fire. All of their belongings apparently were lost.

Two children look at the extensive fire damage to a duplex on Saturday afternoon at 3693 Millvale Ave. NE in Plain Township. Nobody was injured in the blaze, which was started by a vehicle that caught fire outside the home.
Two children look at the extensive fire damage to a duplex on Saturday afternoon at 3693 Millvale Ave. NE in Plain Township. Nobody was injured in the blaze, which was started by a vehicle that caught fire outside the home.

Nobody was inside the home in either of the two units when the fire started, Vance said. She said a car caught fire after it was started outside the home. That fire spread to another vehicle before flames ignited the duplex, she said.

The American Red Cross was assisting those who lived in the duplex, said Tim Warstler, director of the Stark County Emergency Management Agency.

Firefighters battled a blaze Saturday afternoon at a duplex on Millvale Avenue NE in Plain Township. No one was injured.
Firefighters battled a blaze Saturday afternoon at a duplex on Millvale Avenue NE in Plain Township. No one was injured.

Reach Ed at ebalint@gannett.com.

On Twitter: @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Firefighters battle duplex fire in Plain Township