When firefighters arrived, they found fire in the living room, and
the blaze was beginning to spread to the kitchen and attic. They
quickly entered the house and extinguished the fire with a 1
3/4-inch hand-line. They were assisted by firefighters from
Lincoln Rural, Atlanta and Mount Pulaski.
A family of five lived in the home, along with a dog. Only the
father was home at the time of the fire, and he was able to escape
out of the bedroom window with the family pet. The homeowner
appeared to have suffered from some smoke inhalation, but he refused
any medical treatment.
No firefighters were injured during the fire.
The fire did an estimated $50,000 in damage to the structure and
its contents.
The cause of the fire appears to be accidental but is officially
"undetermined" at this time since it is still under investigation.
[Text from file received from the Lincoln Fire Department; Bret
Tripplett, inspector, and Chief Mark Miller] |