The Danville Fire Department was dispatched to a residence on fire at 203 Murphy Circle on 1/19/18 at 12:49 AM. Engine 4 arrived four minutes later to find a one-story house with smoke and fire showing from the front of the house. Engine 4 confirmed all occupants were out of the house and the fire was in a bedroom. The fire was extinguished quickly and confined to the bedroom. The first floor suffered extensive smoke and heat damage to all rooms. A search confirmed no one was on the first floor. During the search of the basement Ladder 1 located the family dog. The dog was removed from the residence and given to a neighbor for safe keeping. There was no smoke damage in the basement and the dog was not harmed.
At the time of the fire there were seven occupants in the house. None of the occupants were injured. The cause of the fire was improper use of a cigarette lighter. The lighter set the bedding and bed on fire. There were four occupants in the room at the time. The Red Cross will be helping all seven occupants plus one that was at work when the fire occurred.
The DFD responded with 3 engines, 1 ladder, and 2 support vehicles. 15 personnel were on scene for one hour and forty-five minutes. There were no smoke alarms in the house. Working smoke alarms should be in every residence. If you need a smoke alarm, please call 799-5226 between 8 AM and 5 PM to set up a time we can install them in your home. There is no charge for this service.
Brian K. Alderson
Battalion Chief
