Atlantic City Fire burns Venice Park home
Published: Monday, Jan 31st, 2009
A woman was displaced when her Venice Park home caught fire Friday morning, and firefighters had to leave 35 youngsters in the station house while they went out to battle the flames, Chief Dennis Brooks said.
Capt. Craig Johnson was in the station explaining firefighting procedures to the Firefighters Explorers group when the alarm went off at 11:53 a.m. for a house fire in the 1800 block of North Ohio Avenue, Brooks said.
Johnson and his crew arrived on the scene three minutes later to see flames and smoke coming from the side and rear of the split-level, wood-frame house, Brooks said.
The fire, which started in the bedroom, was venting out some broken windows, Brooks said. Firefighters entered in the front and pushed the flames out.
The occupant was home at the time but was not injured, Brooks said. The entire house sustained smoke damage and the lower level suffered some water damage. The loss was estimated at $75,000 to $100,000. There were 23 firefighters on the scene, and no one was hurt, Brooks said. It took about 20 minutes to bring the flames under control.
Johnson later returned to the station, smelling of smoke, and continued talking with the Explorers, Brooks said.
"When they got back to the firehouse, it made his presentation more realistic," Brooks said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Brooks said.
