2 adults, 4 children safely flee central Toledo house fire

5/25/2013
BLADE STAFF

Six residents, including a 29-year-old woman who was injured, were left homeless early today after fire destroyed their central Toledo home.

Fire crews were dispatched at 12:20 a.m. to 841 Vance St., where a frantic neighbor told them four children were trapped on a second floor of the home, according to Battalion Fire Chief Jerry Takats.

The chief said firefighters moments later learned the two adults and four children had safely fled the house, but Valentina Wilson, 29, one of the six occupants, was injured when she tried to rescue a trapped dog. The dog perished, the chief said.

Ms. Wilson was taken to Mercy St. Vincent Medical Center for a burn to her forehead, he said. 

The fire started on the second floor at the rear, and Chief Takats asked for a fire investigator to review circumstances leading up to the time of the fire. Damage was estimated at $14,100; the house was razed after Chief Takats conferred with city inspection officials.