A downtown Emporia home suffered extensive fire and smoke damage Tuesday, but firefighters say the situation could have been a lot worse.
Fire crews from Emporia, Americus and Olpe were called to 409 Congress right around 1:15 pm, and Emporia Fire Battalion Chief Bill Harmon tells KVOE News gusty winds fanned the flames as firefighters arrived.
Harmon says firefighters attacked the blaze from the outside, got the fire knocked down fairly quickly and then went inside to find hot spots. He also credited a currently unnamed passerby who called in the fire as it was developing.
The fire developed on the back side of the house and was hot enough to melt siding on one side of the house immediately north of the residence. Harmon says the cause will go down as undetermined because of the extent of fire damage.
Nobody was inside at the time. Lyon County records have the house belonging to Fred and Christine Zumbrunn.
3:15 pm Tuesday: Investigation underway after damaging house fire in downtown Emporia
Firefighters from several Lyon County agencies remain at the site of a structure fire in downtown Emporia, although cleanup and investigation are currently the main orders of business.
Smoke was reported at 409 Congress shortly after 1:15 pm Tuesday, prompting responses from Emporia, Americus and Olpe fire crews. The rear of the house suffered major damage, and smoke was evident across much of the surrounding neighborhood as a result. Siding on a neighboring house was melted as well, however, no other homes were affected by the flames.
Battalion Chief Bill Harmon confirmed there were no occupants inside the home at the time of the fire.
Traffic from the 400 block of Congress to the 200 block has been closed off while crews work. Motorists traveling in the vicinity are asked to find an alternate route.
Additional details are currently pending. Stay with KVOE and KVOE.com for details.
Photos by Tagan Trahoon/KVOE News
{gallery}409 Congress Fire Dec 11 2018{/gallery}
