A home was ruled a total loss and one firefighter was injured Wednesday in a fire on Coss Road.
Paint Creek Joint EMS/Fire District Public Information Officer Branden Jackman said the district received a call reporting a fire at 9935 Coss Road in Jackson Township at 12:03 p.m. He said that upon arrival firefighters found heavy flames showing from the back side of the one-story structure with a basement, and smoke obscuring the view of the front of the house.
“We could see the smoke from Berrysville,” Jackman said.
The house was ruled a total loss.
“We don’t do that very often, but it got so far ahead of us that we couldn’t catch up,” Jackman said.
The home was owned by Donald Gorman, who Jackman said was at a doctor’s appointment in Cincinnati when the fire broke out. Jackman said Gorman lived alone in the home.
Gorman received assistance from the American Red Cross following the fire.
The fire is believed to have started from a wood pellet stove that served as the home’s main source of heat, Jackman said.
Paint Creek received assistance from the Peebles Fire Department, one firefighter each from the Marshall and Mowrystown fire departments, and did not receive any assistance from another nearby fire department it called for mutual aid.
“It was a bad time of day and with all the volunteer fire departments, mutual aid was just not there,” Jackman said.
One Paint Creek firefighter was injured by bricks that fell from a partially collapsed wall. Jackman said the injuries were minor and that the injured firefighter should return to work in a few days.
Jackman said that with temperatures fluctuating like they have been in recent days, local residents should pay extra attention if they are using a wood stove to heat their home. He also said more volunteers firefighters are needed.
“If you’ve ever been interested in being a fireman we’re always looking for volunteers, and we will pay for the training,” Jackman said.
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or [email protected].
