A family narrowly escaped their home late Wednesday night as fire ripped through their two-story Fall Creek residence.
The call came in to Tompkins County 911 just after 11:00 p.m. from the home owners reporting a fire in their house on Linn Street in the City.
Ithaca Fire Fighters arrived on scene minutes later to find heavy fire burning in the middle of the home and extending to an attached garage. Fire Crews immediately deployed multiple hose lines to control the fire and keep it from spreading to nearby homes which were just feet away.
Heavy winds and freezing temperatures made the battle that much more challenging. The original house and garage were heavily damaged by the fire, but the neighboring homes were all saved. The two occupants and their dogs were all uninjured and staying with neighbors.
Bangs Ambulance stood by in case of any injuries during the firefight and the Ithaca Police Department assisted with traffic control on the street. The Newfield Fire Department came to the scene to help battle the blaze while Cayuga Heights and the Enfield and Trumansburg Fire Departments covered other calls along with off duty Ithaca Firefighters.
Soon to be retired Head of the Dept. of Emergency Response, Lee Shurtleff also came to the scene to help fill firefighters air packs.
Firefighters remained on scene extinguishing hot spots most of the morning and the cause of the fire is under investigation. The Ithaca Fire Department reminds people be very carefully with any type of space heaters this winter and always have working smoke detectors.
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