Fire heavily damages Huntingburg home

Huntingburg Fire Department was tangled in a smoldering blaze for nearly five hours Tuesday evening.

The call for the fire at the corner of Chestnut and Second Streets came in at about 7:45 p.m.

Huntingburg Fire Chief Don Heim stated that the “fuel load” in the home and accessibility issues made it difficult to control. The fire eventually entered the interior walls and spread upstairs, damaging the roof.

Heim noted that although the home suffered extensive damage, its age and the native timber used in its construction helped prevent further damage. “Modern homes don’t withstand fire as well as some of the older homes built with hardwood,” he said.

Due to the amount of time Huntingburg Volunteer Firefighters spent battling the blaze, Heim called for additional firefighters from Jasper to assist. He said the Huntingburg firefighters had used two self-contained breather apparatus (SCBA) tanks in the time they had been on the scene. “After going through two SCBA tanks, you are spent,” he explained, adding that the Jasper firefighters provided some relief by allowing Huntingburg firefighters to rotate out of service.

In all, 21 Huntingburg Volunteer Firefighters and eight Jasper Volunteer Firefighters responded to the blaze.

The home has fire, smoke and water damage throughout and is currently uninhabitable. “The upstairs is not safe at all,” Heim said. “Downstairs has water and smoke damage.”

The resident, who was not injured in the fire, has a place to stay, Heim reported.