BRADFORD — Firefighters from multiple departments across Darke and Miami Counties battled a second-alarm fire Saturday that claimed the life of a family pet and left a Bradford family homeless.
At approximately 1:35 p.m., emergency personnel from Bradford Fire and Rescue responded along with mutual aid from the Gettysburg, Versailles, Covington and Pleasant Hill Fire Departments to 6800 State Route 721 in reference to a residential structure fire. According to Assistant Fire Chief Dave Richards of the Bradford Fire Department, crews arrived on the scene to find heavy smoke and fire coming from the attached garage of the home.
“We believe the fire to have started in the garage with extension into the attic and home,” said Richards. “We had a great response from all of our neighbouring departments and with the manpower we had was able to knock the fire down and bring it under control quickly.”
No injuries were reported in the incident. However, a family pet was lost in the fire. A sheriff’s deputy had reported seeing the family’s dog in a bedroom window and broke out the window in an attempted rescue. The pet panicked and ran in the opposite direction only to be found by firefighters who were later sent in to help locate the pet. Firefighters and EMS performed lifesaving measures on the beloved family pet administering oxygen and unsuccessfully performing CPR.
The fire, believed to be electrical in nature, will remain under investigation by the Bradford Fire Department.
