NEW INFORMATION: Firefighters suspect old wiring in Altoona house fire
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Andrea Albers, WQOW
Altoona (WQOW) - We may now know why an Altoona house went up in flames last night and continued burning for more than 12 hours.
Crews were first called a three story home on Garfield Avenue last night around 9 p.m. When crews arrived part of the second floor had collapsed making fighting it and investigating difficult.
"From the way the burn patterns are, we've eliminated a lot of things," said Lt. Dave Daken with the Altoona Fire Department. "The area we're looking at is where the collapse is and it's pointing toward an electrical fire."
No foul play is suspected and fire investigators believe faulty wiring is to blame. Fire fighters say the layout and construction of the house made the fire difficult to contain.
The house has been vacant for two months and was in the process of being sold.
The family says most of the valuable possessions had been removed but that there were still some mementos left inside along with plenty of memories.
"It's just over whelming at the moment," said Chris Rodriguez who grew up in the home. "Seeing the house you grew up in going up in flames it's pretty hard. On the same note I'm just glad no one was injured and everyone was out."
There were witnesses that reported hearing pops. Fire fighters believe they were paint cans exploding. The home is considered a total loss.
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Altoona (WQOW) - Flames lit up the sky in an Altoona neighborhood into the early morning.
Around 9 p.m. last night Altoona fire crews were called to 1128 Garfield Avenue for a house fire. Flames and smoke were coming from the three story house which has been vacant for two months.
The owners son says his parents had moved to Arizona and were starting to sell the house.
"It's just over whelming at the moment," said Chris Rodriguez who grew up in the ome. "Seeing the house your grew up in going up in flames it's pretty hard. On the same note I'm just glad no one was injured and everyone was out."
Witnesses say they hear at least two small explosions or pops. The fire department says it was possibly paint cans. They say the construction and location of the house made it difficult to contain the fire.
"It's an old house with quite a few additions on it so it got into a closet with some kick walls and it was difficult to find," said Lt. Troy Stoneberg. "The fire had been going for a little while before the fire department was called. The floor on the second floor it had collapsed so our crews weren't able to get full access to the second floor to where the fire was. There was fire above us we pulled our crews out for safety."
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
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Altoona (WQOW) - Heavy smoke and flames could be seen coming from a home along Altoona's Garfield Avenue late Thursday evening.
Fire crews were called to a three-story home on 1128 Garfield Avenue around 9 p.m. A News 18 reporter who was at the home counted more than four fire trucks and said firefighters from Altoona, Township and Eau Claire were all helping to extinguish the flames. Fire crews say the fire began on the second floor of the home, which eventually collapsed, and firefighters had to be pulled back out of the building. No injuries have been reported. A caller did report hearing some type of explosion or popping noise during the fire. Fire crews believe that may have been the sound of paint cans in the attic.
News 18 reporter Jackson Schmidtke also spoke with the son of the homeowners. He said no one had been staying inside the home. In fact, his parents have moved to Arizona while trying to sell the property. The family had moved most of their family belongings from the building. Xcel Energy was also on hand. It appears the home had power, but no heat.
It's still unclear at this point how the fire started. Continue to follow this story online and on air as we gather more information for you. Read more about this article »
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