Firefighters Battle Flames, Freezing Cold In Cleveland Heights

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OH — A three-story home on Desota Avenue caught fire Dec. 27, at about 1:30 a.m. Crews battled flames, snow, strong winds and 7 degree temperatures to put the blaze out. One firefighter was hurt putting out the fire.

The Cleveland Heights Fire Department said there was heavy fire on all floors of the home, with the flames focused primarily on the back of the house. Luckily, no residents were in the house at the time of the fire. The Desota Avenue home was being renovated so it could be put on the market.

Firefighters initially tried to quell the flames on the interior of the house. When flames started spitting through the roof, and crews could no longer get to the third floor, the firefighters started fighting the fire from outside.

Crews calmed the fire from outside and then moved back inside to extinguish any remaining blazes.

While inside, one firefighter fell through the first floor of the house, landing in the basement. He suffered minor injuries, but was taken to a local hospital where he was treated and released. He returned to duty, the department said in a statement.

The fire department is still investigating the cause of the fire.

Battling freezing cold conditions can cause a bunch of hazards for firefighters according to Fire Chief William Freeman. Ice forms and creates slipping hazards, pumps on fire engines have to be engaged or they'll freeze, wind pushes flames making it harder to extinguish and fire hydrants will freeze if the water is not circulated through the fire engines. On top of all that, crews of firefighters tend to get exhausted faster.

Shaker Heights, East Cleveland, South Euclid and University Heights helped put out the fire.

Photo from Cleveland Heights Fire Department