SHELBY — The Shelby Fire Department responded to a Powell Street house fire on Wednesday night that ultimately was torn down after burning again on Thursday.
Firefighters received a call at 11:21 p.m. Wednesday night regarding a working structure fire.
According to Shelby fire Chief Mike Thompson, officers from the Shelby Police Department were on scene prior to firefighters’ 11:26 p.m. arrival and stated the occupant was out of the structure.
Thompson said the occupant of the 3 Powell St. residence was taken inside by neighbors to get out of the cold.
Powell Street structure sustained heavy smoke, fire damage
The structure sustained heavy smoke and fire damage to the first and second floors, he said. Mutual aid was provided by Cass, Bloomingrove & Shiloh Fire Department.
Around 7:30 a.m. Thursday morning, the structure began to burn again, Thompson said.
“We stayed after the (first) fire for probably an hour and a half,” he said. “It was checked on at 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. and at 7:30 a.m. we got the call for a working structure fire.”
Burn was ‘no longer safe for firefighters’ Thursday morning
The fire progressed to the point that it was no longer safe for firefighters to perform an interior attack, Thompson said.
“For the safety of the firefighters the building was torn down,” he said. “It’s gone. It’s in a pile and that was just for the safety of the firefighters.”
No injuries were sustained by the occupant or firefighters and the American Red Cross has been notified, the chief reported. Firefighters left the scene around 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined, Thompson said.
Battling the flames and winter elements
Wintry conditions and frigid temperatures can add another difficult layer to battling a blaze, he said.
“Things freeze up and it wears on the guys pretty good,” he said.
“It wears on equipment. We have everything from hoses freezing up, we have to keep water moving all the time, gauges freezing up… anything when it’s really cold or really hot tends to break down.”