A fire in the middle of the night Saturday heavily damaged an Ontario home and left nine people, including children, without a home, according to Ontario Fire Chief Clint Benson.
No one was injured in the fire reported at midnight Saturday in the two-bedroom home at 707 N.W. 4th St., at the intersection of Northwest Seventh Avenue and a block south of Beck-Kiwanis Park.
The first arriving crew from Ontario Fire and Rescue encountered “heavy fire coming out of the northeast corner of the residence,” according to a statement from Benson.
After initially entering the burning home, firefighters retreated for a time after “noticing the fire had extended to the attic,” the statement said. “Due to metal roof overtop of shingles, crews pulled ceiling in many areas of the residence to access the attic space.”
Ontario crews were joined by firefighters from the Fruitland and Payette Fire Departments. A total of 17 people worked three hours to extinguish the fire, Benson said.
The temperature at the time of the fire was 27 degrees.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Meantime, the occupants – not identified by the fire agency – had overnight accommodations with help from the local Burnout Fund. The American Red Cross was scheduled to connect with the occupants on Sunday.
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