Published: July 01, 2009 09:42 pm      

Fire damages State Street residence

Traffic officer discovers blaze while on patrol

Smoke poured from the roof of a residence on State Street, making the house barely visible for several minutes Thursday morning.

Logansport firefighters responded to the scene of a single-story structure fire at 905 State St. after Traffic Officer Wesley Peters noticed the smoke at 11:50 a.m.

“I was checking the streets on my routine patrol,” Peters said. “I noticed smoke coming out from under the eaves.”

After Peters spoke with a neighbor across the street, it was believed an elderly homeowner was still inside with his dog.

The officer said he tested the front door, but it was hot to the touch and he decided to leave it alone. After looking through a side window, Peters noticed flames.

“I called it in, they got here and did their thing,” Peters said of the fire department.

Assistant Chief Mike Woolington said upon arrival, the fire fighters noticed visible smoke, but could not locate flames at first.

“Visibility was not very good,” he said. “We didn’t see a lot of flames, but there were blankets covering the windows.”

Fire investigator Teddy Franklin said the fire was discovered in a possible office, located near the middle of the residence. The fire was contained to one area of the residence.

The firefighters worked fast and were able to knock the flames down quickly. After a search of the house, it was discovered no one was home at the time. No one was injured as result of the fire.

Woolington said the house had heavy smoke and heat damage on the first floor.

Franklin said he could not pinpoint the cause of the fire, but had not discovered anything suspicious. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

He estimated the value of damage between $40,000 and $50,000.

Logansport Police Department and Cass County EMS assisted at the scene.

• Denise Massie is a staff writer at the Pharos-Tribune. She can be reached at (574) 732-5151 or denise.massie@pharostribune.com