Cortlandville Fire Captains Eve Mascoli and Dave Lincoln head back to the fire station after helping to extinguish a house fire Thursday afternoon on Wildman Road in Solon. SARAH BULLOCK
SOLON — A family was displaced late this afternoon after a chimney fire that spread to the back wall of their home, according to the Cortlandville Fire Department.
No one was injured in the fire that started about 4:30 p.m. at 4083 Wildman Road, said volunteer Fire Chief Gere Henry. Four adults were inside the residence when the fire spread to the wall and got out safely, Henry said.
Once outside, the residents called 911, he added. “Then some people driving by saw the smoke and smelt it,” Henry said.
The residence, settled into a hill between North Tower Road and Mosher Road, suffered extensive damage, he said. “It’s not livable right now,” Henry said, adding there was smoke throughout the home.
A window on the second floor was propped open with a wood board to ventilate the house.
Firefighters did not discover any working smoke detectors in the home, Henry said.
“If this happened later at night, this could have been really bad,” he said.
The home’s remoteness added an extra challenge for firefighters. The closest Cortlandville fire station to the residence is 10 minutes away at 3757 Route 11 in Polkville, according to Google maps.
Getting water to fight fires in remote areas is usually also an issue, Henry said. But the Spring thaw and rains filled a creek along Wildman Road that firefighters were able to use.
McGraw, Homer, Marathon, Cincinnatus and Killawog fire departments assisted the Cortlandville firefighters, while TLC Ambulance Services posted an ambulance nearby in case of injury, Henry said. Other departments stood by in case more assistance was needed or if another fire broke out while the supporting firefighters were battling this house fire, he said.
A family was displaced after a chimney fire caused extensive damage Thursday afternoon to this Wildman Road home in Solon. SARAH BULLOCK
