2 injured in Medina fire Sunday

MEDINA — Firefighters responded just after midnight Sunday to reports of a fire at a West Friendship Street home. Acting Medina Fire Chief Mark Crumley said by the time firefighters arrived at the house, the garage, which is separate from the house, was fully on fire and the blaze already had extended into the house. It took crews about an hour and a half to get the fire under control. He said the cause still is under investigation and the father and son who lived in the home both sustained injuries. "It's what's known as 'balloon construction,' so when it burnt the side of the house, it went straight up into the attic from there," Crumley said. "So we ended up having to pull out almost all the ceiling on the second floor to get to the attic area. Then there was a little kitchen area that had been added on over the years and it got in between the roof and ceiling of that area as well." Most of the damage was done to the west part of the house, with the east part sustaining mostly smoke damage on the first floor and in the kitchen area. Crumley said that part of the house is probably salvageable, depending on what the homeowner wants to do with it, but the garage is a total loss. There also was heat damage to the garage and house to the west of the property. Erhart Fire Department sent one engine company for mutual aid. Crumley reiterated while they do not yet know the cause of the fire, he issued a general safety warning for those using space heaters or any type of flame heat during the winter. "If you're using anything with a flame or heat, be careful with where you're putting things at and how close to combustible items you're putting them," he said. "If, for heating purposes, you're going to use a space heater, give it space. You want to keep three feet away from the front, back and sides of a space heater if you're using one of those. If you're going to leave the area for a long period of time, unplug the space heater. "If you're going to use a wood-burner or a fireplace, make sure you're using dry seasoned wood and make sure that you have the chimney cleaned out at least once a year." Contact reporter Jack Kopanski at (330) 721-4063 or jkopanski@medina-gazette.com.