Family Displaced By Fire

ZANESVILLE, Oh – A fire this morning displaced a family.

Zanesville Fire Department responded to a home at 1410 Lewis Drive 7:02 AM, after calls from passersby reporting the blaze.

Upon arrival on-scene, they found heavy fire coming from the home.

Crews, assisted by Washington Township, were able to quickly knock down the blaze but due to extensive spread of the fire had multiple hotspots to extinguish.

“Fire, unfortunately was blowing out the front windows and the left side of the structure, so we put a quick attack on the house, knocked it down. Unfortunately, the fire had spread throughout the structure and into the attic so it took a little bit of time to get all the hotspots knocked down,” ZFD Assistant Chief Doug Hobson said.

Assistant Chief Hobson says one dog inside the house was killed in the fire but there were no other injuries.

While no cause for this fire has been determined, Hobson reminds everyone to be careful this winter and holiday season, especially when it comes to space heaters and decorations.

“If you can go to LED lights. And try to stay away from the extension cords as much as possible. And especially with the alternative heating. When we talk about space heaters, you know, it’s in the name. So they need at least 3 foot space all the way around them. You need to make sure that that heat is not blowing directly on a combustible product like a bed sheet or a bed cover or your curtains, something like that,” he added.

Hobson also advises ensuring space heaters are tip-over protected, which will shut them off if knocked over.

ZFD is working with the insurance company to determine the cause of the fire and Red Cross is assisting the family at this time. The home is believed to be a total loss.