Two families are homeless after a multistory duplex on Baldwin Street was gutted in a Friday afternoon fire.
“We had five or six people displaced, but everyone’s accounted for, and there were no injuries,” Chief Evan Kardosh of Meadville Central Fire Department said at the scene early Friday night. “The crews were able to rescue three dogs and two cats as well.”
Fire damage to the duplex at 662 and 664 Baldwin St. was so extensive an emergency demolition was to be done to the structure Friday night, Kardosh said.
“As of 6:30 p.m., the bulk of the fire is down, but there are a few hot spots,” Kardosh said. “Due to the collapse and deterioration of structure, we’re going to do an emergency demolition of the structure. It’s to make sure we can get the fire (put) out and make it safe for the surrounding homes as well as anyone on the street.”
Necessary permits were being obtained, and Wilkinson Excavation was scheduled to do the emergency demolition, the chief said.
The fire was discovered at 1:49 p.m. at the duplex, located between Mt. Hope Street and Reynolds Avenue.
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Kardosh confirmed there were initial reports from the scene of the possibility of someone entrapped in the building on the second floor on one side of the duplex, but it turned out there wasn’t.
“We had guys get above the hose line and go into a burning room on the second floor but didn’t find anyone,” Kardosh said.
At 2:12 p.m., an “all evacuation” order was given to firefighters to clear the building due to the heavy damage and deteriorating conditions.
The fire is believed to have started in the basement or first floor and quickly spread upward to the duplex’s balloon frame construction, Kardosh said.
Balloon framing uses long, vertical 2-by-4-inch wooden studs for the exterior walls. The long studs extend uninterrupted from the sill on top of the foundation up to the roof, and that type of construction can cause fire to spread rapidly.
“When fire spread to the second floor, we had crews trying to get what they could of personal items and Christmas gifts out to salvage what we could in a sad situation,” Kardosh said.
Crews from more than a half dozen area fire companies were called to assist Meadville in battling that fire.
“We had no injuries (to firefighters),” Kardosh said. “We were trying to keep everyone warm and safe with the cold temperatures.”
There was some difficulty initially in getting adequate water onto the fire because one or two fire hydrants in the Baldwin Street area didn’t operate properly to the cold temperatures. Friday afternoon’s temperature was in the mid-20s.
Kardosh praised the efforts of the Maryann Menano, city manager, and Meadville Police Department in arranging housing for those displaced by the fire.
The structure, owned by Tod Gillette of Meadville, is considered a total loss, Kardosh said. With the demolition of the duplex, it may be difficult at best to determine the exact cause, according to Kardosh.
“It probably will be considered undetermined,” Kardosh said. “Because of the instability of the building, we’re not able to get it there. We had fire on three floors and the attic. With the amount of damage, it will make it difficult to find the cause and origin.”
Volunteer fire companies from West Mead 1, West Mead 2, Saegertown, Vernon Central and Cochranton were called to assist Meadville at 1:52 p.m.
According to emergency radio traffic, one of Vernon Central’s trucks was involved in a crash near Mercer Street and the French Creek Parkway while en route to the fire scene.
In addition, there were multiple emergency radio reports from Meadville Auxiliary Police Department of motorists deliberately driving over active fire hoses in the areas of Mt. Hope and Baldwin streets.
At around 3 p.m. Friday, the continued cold weather conditions necessitated calls for additional manpower and equipment from the Greenwood Township and Utica volunteer fire departments.
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