Red Cross responds to Monroeville home fire
Jan. 11—FINDLAY — The American Red Cross of North Central Ohio responded to a fire in Monroeville on Monday evening, helping a family of five.
The Red Cross provided assistance, such as temporary lodging, food and clothing for the immediate needs of three adults and two children. Red Cross volunteers will continue to help those affected, providing recovery assistance, resources and referrals to community partners.
The fire destroyed the home at 2370 Geiger Road.
Firefighters from three different departments — Huron River Joint Fire District, Fairfield Volunteer Fire Department and Norwalk Fire Department, were on hand to fight the fire.
The call came in Monday morning and shortly after another call came in for mutual aid.
Lyle Morrison is the homeowner. The house was built in 1993, according to the Huron County Auditor's Office.
"The state fire marshal came in and did an investigation and it is in their hands," HRJFD Chief Curt Stang said. "What they are telling me is it will probably be undetermined. There was so much fire and it was so hot it will be hard to find where it started."
It was a brutal day for firefighters with the cold, snow and wind.
"The problem was we had wind," Stang said. "Once the windows broke out the wind blew in and kept fanning the fire. That house was a little unique the way it was built. It has floor trusses so it had open areas from one end to another. With the wind we could not keep ahead of the fire.
"The floors were burned out upstairs. We had to be careful we did not fall through when we were up there.
"This is tough this time of the year when we had to fight the weather. The guys were cold and their equipment was freezing up. We had to make sure the hoses did not freeze up. It ended up being an ice rink around there."
HOME FIRE SAFETY
There are several things people can do to protect themselves and their loved ones from fires. They include:
—Installing smoke alarms on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Test them every month and replace the batteries at least once a year.
—Developing a fire evacuation plan with all members of the household and practicing it several times a year, at different times of the day.
—Include two ways to get out of every room and consider escape ladders for sleeping areas or homes on the second floor or above. Pick a place outside for everyone to meet and make sure everyone knows where it is.
—Removing any fire hazards from the home.
RED CROSS APPS
People can download the all-inclusive Red Cross Emergency app which combines more than 35 emergency alerts to help keep the user safe. And there is a special mobile app — Monster Guard — designed for kids, teaching them to prepare for emergencies at home by playing an engaging game. Users can find the apps in smartphone app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps.
WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO
People can visit redcross.org/homefires to find out more about how to protect themselves and their loved homes from fire. People can help by donating to Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations to Disaster Relief will be used to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. We respond to an average of more than 62,000 other disasters every year, from home fires to wildfires and more.
The American Red Cross North Central Ohio Chapter is a United Fund partner.
