By Bruce Rolfe
The Galesburg-Charleston Township Fire Department responded to two structure fires in less then a week, including one where fire firefighters had to rescue four individuals from the second level of a house.
Galesburg-Charleston Township Fire Chief Kevin Roomsberg credits a quick response, training and mutual aid as key factors to helping the four individuals out of a second story window safely during a structure fire September 25 on Battle Creek Street in the City of Galesburg.
Roomsberg said the fire started in one of the bedrooms in an attached garage to the house that had been turned into a living area.
The Galesburg-Charleston Fire Chief said the local fire department is leaning towards an electrical issue as the cause of the fire but is not one hundred percent.
While the fire started in the attached garage, Roomsberg said the smoke traveled through a breezeway between the garage and the house up to the second floor of the house, where three adults and one child were trapped from heavy smoke entering the second level.
Roomsberg said firefighters used ladders to safely remove all four residents from the second floor window. He said there were no injuries to the three adults, however the child was transported to a local hospital with what the fire chief said was non-life threatening injuries as a precaution for smoke inhalation.
“We got a fast knock down on the fire and we got the people out,” said Roomsberg.
Roomsberg said while it is not common for his department to assist with a second level rescue getting people out, training and working with neighboring fire departments is very important when there is a need, like there was September 25.
“They were actually rescued by Comstock who was second in. It was a Comstock guy who put the ladder up and actually brought the people down and my guys attacked the fire on the back of the garage,” said Roomsberg.
“It was good community involvement. Everything clicked. It was a quick response by everybody and then everybody working together, which we do. We all work so well together. It took everybody and the pieces of the puzzle came together perfectly. We kept the fire out of the house portion. It was just smoke in the house. The fire was just starting to go into the back through the breezeway into the house but they got it knocked down before it did much damage inside the house,” adds the local fire chief.
Comstock and Ross-Augusta Fire Departments assisted at the scene.
The Galesburg-Charleston Township Fire Department and two other local fire departments also responded to a structure fire in the 4400 block of South 38th Street in Charleston Township September 28 at 6:41 p.m.
Roomsberg said welding work was being performed on a truck on a hoist in a pole barn and the truck caught on fire.
He said the pole barn and truck were a total loss, however there were no injuries.
Climax and Pavilion Township Fire Departments assisted at the scene and Comstock moved up to man the Galesburg-Charleston Township Fire Station during the call.
The Galesburg-Charleston Township Fire Department responded to two structure fires in less then a week, including one where fire firefighters had to rescue four individuals from the second level of a house.
Galesburg-Charleston Township Fire Chief Kevin Roomsberg credits a quick response, training and mutual aid as key factors to helping the four individuals out of a second story window safely during a structure fire September 25 on Battle Creek Street in the City of Galesburg.
Roomsberg said the fire started in one of the bedrooms in an attached garage to the house that had been turned into a living area.
The Galesburg-Charleston Fire Chief said the local fire department is leaning towards an electrical issue as the cause of the fire but is not one hundred percent.
While the fire started in the attached garage, Roomsberg said the smoke traveled through a breezeway between the garage and the house up to the second floor of the house, where three adults and one child were trapped from heavy smoke entering the second level.
Roomsberg said firefighters used ladders to safely remove all four residents from the second floor window. He said there were no injuries to the three adults, however the child was transported to a local hospital with what the fire chief said was non-life threatening injuries as a precaution for smoke inhalation.
“We got a fast knock down on the fire and we got the people out,” said Roomsberg.
Roomsberg said while it is not common for his department to assist with a second level rescue getting people out, training and working with neighboring fire departments is very important when there is a need, like there was September 25.
“They were actually rescued by Comstock who was second in. It was a Comstock guy who put the ladder up and actually brought the people down and my guys attacked the fire on the back of the garage,” said Roomsberg.
“It was good community involvement. Everything clicked. It was a quick response by everybody and then everybody working together, which we do. We all work so well together. It took everybody and the pieces of the puzzle came together perfectly. We kept the fire out of the house portion. It was just smoke in the house. The fire was just starting to go into the back through the breezeway into the house but they got it knocked down before it did much damage inside the house,” adds the local fire chief.
Comstock and Ross-Augusta Fire Departments assisted at the scene.
The Galesburg-Charleston Township Fire Department and two other local fire departments also responded to a structure fire in the 4400 block of South 38th Street in Charleston Township September 28 at 6:41 p.m.
Roomsberg said welding work was being performed on a truck on a hoist in a pole barn and the truck caught on fire.
He said the pole barn and truck were a total loss, however there were no injuries.
Climax and Pavilion Township Fire Departments assisted at the scene and Comstock moved up to man the Galesburg-Charleston Township Fire Station during the call.
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