Instead of carefree holiday celebrations, an Ironton family is recovering from a Christmas fire that damaged the downstairs living area of their home.

Monday, December 27, 1999

Instead of carefree holiday celebrations, an Ironton family is recovering from a Christmas fire that damaged the downstairs living area of their home.

Terrance Walker, 2910 S. Sixth St., and his family were not at home when a fire broke out on the first floor of their house Christmas Day, destroying holiday items and other possessions in its wake.

Although no one was in the house when the fire began, the Ironton Fire Department was contacted by a neighbor and immediately responded to the call.

"A neighbor spotted smoke and flames coming from the home and called to report the fire," said Capt. Steve Lewis. "We received the call at 5:21 p.m."

Within minutes, a team of Ironton firefighters arrived on the scene and began battling the blaze, which originated on the ground level of the two-story structure, IFD reports said.

Firefighters worked throughout the evening hours to contain and extinguish the flames and save the family’s home, as well as to protect neighboring homes from heat and smoke damage.

Neighbors gathered and watched as the crew of nine firefighters triumphed over the blaze, saving the home and the majority of the family’s possessions.

The home, owned by Sophie Wilson of Kitts Hill, sustained moderate fire damage to the first floor and smoke damage to the upper floor.

"The crew remained on scene until 8:10 p.m.," Lewis said. "No one was injured and no one was in the home when the fire started."

While the origin location of the blaze has been established by IFD officials, no ignition cause has been determined, Lewis said.

"The incident is still under investigation by the chief and investigators," he said. "The report will remain incomplete until the cause is determined."

No further information was available as of presstime.