BROOK PARK, Ohio — The Brook Park Fire Department is investigating a Monday morning fire at a home on Parkland Avenue. Neighbors reported the home smoking near Parkland Avenue and Forestview Circle shortly before 10 a.m.
Next-door neighbor Karl Bartz said he rushed into the house with a fire extinguisher when he realized it was on fire.
“I tried to extinguish the flames going up the stairs. I only got about halfway up the stairs. It was just engulfed in smoke - just choking on it, your eyes can’t see so I had to retreat from the building,” he recalled.
Crews responded within minutes of the initial 911 call and found extensive smoke in the upstairs living room.
“Most of the fire was contained to that area you can see there with the big window. Some of it did extend down to the basement as well,” said Brook Park Fire Dept. Capt. David McCarthy.
He explained the sub-freezing temperatures created a brief challenge for responding firefighters.
“We’re dealing with water, so obviously we had some issues with that,” he said. “The fire hydrant behind me here was frozen so that’s one of the things you deal with.”
Despite challenges, crews successfully contained the fire within 5 minutes.
Neighbors told News 5 that one person was inside the home at the time. Investigators have not released details about the person’s condition.
Bartz said he routinely checks on the senior neighbor and brings him to doctor’s appointments. He told News 5 he received a notification from the man’s medical alert device early Monday morning saying the neighbor had fallen and an ambulance was en route.
“They had him up in a chair and he said he was fine. There were no cuts or bruises or anything like that. He was just tired,” Bartz said. “He didn’t want to go to the hospital.”
An investigative team was reconstructing the scene Monday afternoon to determine what led up to the fire.
The smoke and flames caused extensive damage to the home. Neighbors said the state of the house was a sad image for the neighborhood.
“It’s a shame. He was a good neighbor, I’ve known him for over 20+ years,” Bartz said.
The Fire Investigation Unit (FIU) and State Fire Marshal are investigating what caused the fire.
