XENIA — Firefighters had to deal with heavy flames while battling a house fire in Xenia early Friday morning.
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Xenia firefighters and police officers were dispatched at 3:10 a.m. on initial reports of a house fire in the 1600 block of Drake Avenue, Xenia Dispatch told News Center 7.
Images from the scene show firefighters dealing with heavy flames and smoke throughout the back of the house, according to cell phone video a viewer gave News Center 7′s Xavier Hershovitz.
Xenia Fire Chief Ken Riggsby said the large flames presented a challenge for firefighters.
“We had a little problem with it in the attic, it took us longer than normal,” he told Hershovitz. “It’s not a large house but there was a lot of fire upon arrival.”
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Riggsby said the occupants living in the house were able to get out.
“I think there were assisted either by neighbors or someone upon our arrival,” he said. “Luckily, they were able to get out of the house.”
Riggsby also told Hershovitz about how vital smoke detectors are.
“Fire spreads quickly, especially in this case since people were asleep,” he said. “I don’t know if they were awakened by fire or by smoke detectors. If you have smoke detectors, that gives you that quick out of the house before the fire gets out of control.
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The fire is now out but there is significant damage to the back of the house.
No injuries are reported.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
We will continue to provide updates on this developing story.