Accidental fire renders 4 homeless

5/18/2013

An accidental house fire in central Toledo left four people, including three children, homeless Friday, authorities said.

Lt. Matthew Hertzfeld, Toledo fire department spokesman, said the fire at 1612 Avondale Ave. near North Detroit started accidentally, with its cause "electrical in nature." No one was home at the time of the fire and there were no reported injuries, according to the Toledo fire department.

The first fire crews arrived about 7:40 a.m., saw light flames coming from the single-story wood-frame house, made a forced entry, and found flames on the first floor, where the fire had started, Lieutenant Hertzfeld said.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze a short time later, but not before it had burned through to the basement, the fire lieutenant said. Fire crews left the scene at 8:57 a.m, according to a fire dispatcher.

Amanda Aldrich, a spokesman for the American Red Cross Northwest Ohio Region, said volunteers responded to the fire scene but did not help the fire victims — an adult and three children — because the victims had insurance and didn’t ask for assistance. Volunteers will be available to help the family should they need assistance in the next few days, she said.

The fire damage was estimated at $50,000, Lieutenant Hertzfeld said. The Lucas County auditor’s Web site lists Terri Cable as the owner of the house, which was built in 1905.