Fire destroys two units in Euclid row house, displaces 11 occupants
Dec. 28—A fire at row house in Euclid destroyed two units and displaced 11 people.
According to a post on the Euclid Fire Department Facebook page, at 2:16 a.m. Dec. 27, as crews were finishing up a small chimney fire on Luikart Drive, the Euclid Fire Department was dispatched to 22650 Fox Ave. Unit H, for a fire in the building. Chagrin Valley Dispatch reported receiving multiple calls.
According to the department, upon arrival at 2:21 am, crews found several occupants evacuating their homes and a large fire venting though the roof of a two-story row house with eight attached units, lettered C through J. Personnel immediately went to work .
Once the fire had darkened down, crews transitioned to the interior for additional fire control and primary searches. Additional firefighters were requested from Wickliffe, Willowick and South Euclid fire departments and Richmond Heights Firefighters Local 2009, according to the department.
Once inside, EFD personnel went upstairs in Unit H and found significant fire conditions throughout the entire second floor and the roof mostly burned away or collapsed. To prevent spread of fire in the attic, crews entered the attached units on each side to check for fire extension and perform any needed fire control and searches, according to the post.
Fire was found burning in the attic above one of the units. A firewall in the attic limited full extension of fire. However, the fire still required extensive overhaul to ensure it was completely out.
The fire was declared under control at approximately 2:50 am. There were no injuries to civilians or firefighters. In all, 30 firefighters were at the scene, according to the department.
At least 11 occupants are being provided shelter from the American Red Cross of Northern Ohio. The EFD Fire Investigation Unit is working to determine the cause and believes it started in an upstairs bedroom of Unit H, which was under renovation and unoccupied at the time of the fire.
Unit H and Unit G will likely be considered total losses. The damage to Unit H was from fire and smoke and Unit G from water and smoke damage.
An early damage estimate is $50,000 to the two units and $15,000 in contents, according to the post.
