Firefighters battle Brownsville blaze in frigid weather
A Brownsville home was gutted by fire Tuesday night after crews worked to extinguish the blaze in single-digit temperatures.
West Brownsville Volunteer Fire Department Chief Ron Barry said no one was home when the fire started at 1021 Second St. at about 8:30 p.m. Two cats likely died in the fire. One side of the house was already engulfed in flames when crews arrived.
“There wasn’t much we could do to save it, unfortunately,” he said.
The structure sits 350 feet above the road. Firefighters could only access the house by climbing 200 wooden steps, dragging heavy water hoses which were freezing in the frigid weather.
“So that was pretty taxing on the firefighters. A lot of firefighters were encased in ice,” he said.
His crew was on the scene past midnight. A Fayette EMS rehab team tended to the firefighters. No injuries were reported.
West Brownsville was assisted by Brownsville, Hiller and California fire departments and Brownsville EMS. Republic fire department was on standby.