Crews responding to blaze that ‘completely destroyed’ top floor of Belleville home
Police and firefighters responded to a house fire in Belleville Sunday night that “completely destroyed” the home’s top level.
Just after 5 p.m., crews were called to reports of a fire in the attic of a home in the 35th block of North 28th Street, Fire Chief Tom Pour said. When firefighters arrived just two minutes later, they saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the second floor of the house, which did not actually have an attic.
“I could smell smoke coming from the vents of my house,” said Corey Lofton, who lives across the street from the home. Lofton was among a group of neighbors standing in the cold and watching crews battle the fire.
After making one attempt to get inside the house and find the start of the blaze, firefighters had to get out because it was getting so hot, Pour said. A few minutes later, they tried again and were able to put the fire out in about 20 minutes.
Though people were inside the house at the time, Pour said no one was injured. He said the home’s top level was a loss due to fire and smoke damage, but that the first level could be salvaged, since firefighters put protective covers on some of the furniture and belongings.
Pour said the cause of the fire was still being investigated Sunday night.
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