Two fires an hour apart in Independence

Two house fires within 53 minutes of each other had Independence firefighters scrambling Thursday around midday.

Firefighters were called to the 200 block of South Downey Avenue at 11:14 a.m. for house fire No. 1.

At 12:07 p.m., firefighters responded to the 17900 block of East Kentucky Road. 

Some of the firefighters who battled the first fire responded to the second  house fire. They traveled about three miles to get to house fire No. 2.

“It hit us all the sudden,” said Independence’s chief fire inspector Gene Gould.

The first fire, which was less intense than the second, started on the back deck and creeped up the outside wall and then made “forward progress” into the attic before firefighters extinguished the flames, Gould said.

Most likely, ashes from an outdoor grill ignited the deck, Gould said.

The fire report said damage was in the range of $30,000.

There were no injuries.

A woman drove by the house and noticed smoke billowing from the roof. It was too warm for the chimney to be working, so she took a second look. She peered into the window and saw a dog scratching at the window, trying to escape.

She called 911.

Angela Ashford, the homeowner, left the house about 15 minutes before the fire started.

“Then I came home to this,” Ashford said, scanning the multiple firefighters walking on her roof and fire trucks set up out front.

Fire No. 2 was more intense and serious.

Three people escaped the burning home. A young boy, his mother and a guest were inside.

Dispatchers told firefighters prior to arrival that there was a person trapped, apparently the guest who was sleeping in the basement, according to firefighters. But upon arrival, firefighters discovered there was no one trapped.

About 25 percent of the house was enveloped in flames when firefighters pulled up, Greene said.

The mother and child suffered injuries to their feet and were treated at the scene by paramedics, said assistant chief John Greene. They were not taken to the hospital.

The child was playing with a lighter inside the bedroom, Gould said, that ignited contents, gutting the bedroom and filling the rest of the house with smoke.

Exactly what the boy set on fire was not disclosed by the fire department.

A firefighter was slightly injured battling the second fire. Gould did not have information on how he was injured.

Damage was estimated to be around $50,000.