Jan. 10—MONROE — Firefighters responded to a house fire Wednesday afternoon and evening in the 3000 block of Route 7.
Firefighters were called at 3:33 p.m., and the first truck arrived at 3:42 p.m., Monroe Fire Chief Jason Coy said.
They left the scene at 8:12 p.m., but had to return at 9:30 p.m. after the fire rekindled. They were on-scene until 10:32 p.m.
There were no fatalities, Coy said.
“The fire started in the back room, in the wood stove,” he said.
Coy said he is going to contact the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s Office to confirm the fire’s cause.
Built in the 1880s, the house was not up to recent fire standards.
Coy said the house had uninterrupted timber lining from the basement to the roof, allowing the fire to spread fast, and making it harder to fight.
The house’s structure had lath, plaster and drywall, which required more manual labor from firefighters.
Staff from Monroe were assisted by the Pierpont, Kingsville, Conneaut, North Kingsville, Andover, Jefferson and Plymouth fire departments.
Coy said there were a total of 26 firefighters on-scene.
“I would like to thank all the fire departments for their assistance, and the Bushnell store, who donated drinks and food [for the firefighters],” he said.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol arrived at 3:44 p.m. and closed a portion of Route 7 near the house for two hours.
The cold weather impeded firefighters, quickly turning water from the hoses into icicles, Coy said.
“It was 16 degrees [Fahrenheit], six with wind chill,” he said.
The cold weather added another hurdle by making the firefighters’ gear and ladders slippery.
Coy said the Red Cross was called in to assist the house’s residents.
Living in the house were John Salters Senior and Junior.
Salters Sr. said they were out shopping when they heard about the fire.
“We got a call from our neighbor across the road, [who] said the house was on fire,” he said. “We rushed back to see the fire department here, and flames shooting out of the roof.”
Salters said he had been living at the house for 10 years.
“We’d been living here, before several years ago,” he said. “We decided to move back here.”
The father and son had sheep, chickens and dogs on the property, which were unharmed by the fire and have stayed there since.
Salters Sr. said they have been living in a motel since the fire, but have returned to go through items and feed the animals.
“We’re just assessing the damage,” he said.
Salters said people interested in helping his family out can reach out to G.O. Development Group, an Ashtabula charity he founded.
“We just feel we were blessed with no injuries, and with the help of God, we’ll be moving on,” he said.