House fire – 1503 Park Ave

12/19/2012 – Parkersburg firefighters responded to 1503 Park Ave shortly before 11 p.m. last night. A passerby reported smoke coming from the house to the Wood County 911 Center.

First arriving engine companies reported heavy smoke coming from a two story brick residence. Upon entry, firefighters were met with a house full of stored furnishings, which created some obstacles for firefighters.

“The home was full of stored household items, which somewhat hampered the advancement of our fire lines. It took our crews about 30 minutes to declare the fire under control,” Fire chief Eric Taylor.

Neighbors report that the home has not been occupied for a long time, however, there was still electric to the house. Since the home appeared to be unoccupied, fire officials are still trying to determine the owner.

Fire crews remained on scene for several hours into the night extinguishing smoldering hot spots and doing their investigation. The fire appears to have originated on the first floor in a dining room. However, the home has been on fire before and fire investigators were trying to determine what was new and what was pre-existing damage.

The cause of the fire is currently ruled undetermined. Damages are estimated at $15,000 and no injuries were reported.