Fire displaces family of nine

8/16/2014

A house fire on Everett Street displaced a family of nine Saturday afternoon.

Everyone in the house at 332 Everett, in Toledo’‍s Polish Village neighborhood, was downstairs when Latoya Campbell, who rents the property, smelled smoke.

“We tried to run upstairs, but when we got to the top of the landing, there was smoke at the ceiling,” Ms. Campbell said before describing how she could see flames’‍ light and the air was too hot to go farther. Firefighters were called at 1:56 p.m.

Ms. Campbell rushed her six children, ages 2 to 14, and her brother out of the house. The children’‍s father was not home at the time, and the family’‍s two “pit bull” dogs also escaped unharmed.

“I don‘‍t know what happened,” Ms. Campbell said. “This is unbelievable. I feel so sick. My stomach is tight.”

Toledo Fire Department Battalion Chief David Hitt said the fire was mostly contained to an upstairs bedroom and the attic. The house sustained smoke and water damage, but is repairable.

“They‘‍ll have to get it cleaned up, but they can get back in there,” he said.

Neighbors comforted the family and helped find shoes for some of the children who were hustled outside barefoot. One offered to supply the family with pizza for dinner tonight.

The fire’‍s cause was under investigation, and the local chapter of the American Red Cross was called to assist the family in finding shelter.