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Last updated on Wednesday, December 27, 2017
(OOLITIC) - Firefighters from four volunteer fire departments responded early this morning to a house fire at 909 Lafayette Avenue in Oolitic.
When firefighters arrived at the home it was engulfed in flames. The home is owned by Cheryl Brown. Her son Robbie, his wife Cassandra and their four children live in the home. The fire destroyed everything the family owned.
"They don't have anything," says Oolitic VFD Chief Ted Maze. "All their Christmas gifts, everything. The Red Cross was on scene and is helping them out with shelter and other needs for right now."
Firefighters from Oolitic, Indian Creek, Marshall and Shawswick battled the blaze until around 5 a.m. this morning. TOPES and an IU Health Hospital ambulance crew also responded.
"When we arrived we went into defensive mode to keep the fire contained," Maze says.
Firefighters worked to make sure the fire didn't spread to homes on each side of the burning building.
Not only did firefighters battle the fire, they battled the freezing cold. But had no issues with water supply.
"The fire was electrical in nature," says Maze. "They had been having issues with fuses blowing all evening."
Maze says family members had changed the fuses at least three times because the lights kept going out.
"The last time they did it the lights didn't come back on and they noticed sparks so they went and got the husband who then noticed what he thought was embers in the ceiling area and when he hit it with a hammer it came down burning."
Maze says the fire had been burning in the attic area for several hours before being noticed.
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