The Chillicothe Fire Department responded to a fire at an apartment building at 504 Clay Street on Friday night.
Firefighter/Paramedic Lyle Lowe reports the department found smoke located on the backside of the building owned by Ernie and Dee Akers. Firefighters discovered a pile of spilled wood ashes from an outside wood stove had fallen against the structure.
A 200-foot hose was stretched to the backside of the structure, and the electrical meter covers were removed from 504 and 506 Clay as a precaution. The natural gas meter was also shut off.
A fire tarp was placed to protect electrical components from water, outer lap siding was removed to get to the burning structure, and the sheetrock was removed from interior walls and the ceiling.
Lowe says firefighters found no fire damage in the attic, and burnt wall studs were extinguished. The floor was opened because of no access to a crawl space, and the fire was extinguished. The structure was ventilated to remove smoke.
Firefighters used 600 gallons of water and foam and no injuries were reported at the apartment building.
The Chillicothe Fire Department was on the scene for approximately one hour.
