Ironon crews react to house fire with the help of student athletes

Ironton, Ohio (WSAZ) – A family is driven out and a house is a total loss after a large house fire broke out on Saturday evening in Ironon.

The Ironton fire brigade arrived in the house on the corner of the 3rd Street, and Kemp Avenue devoured flames at around 9:30 p.m.

The boss of the Ironon fire brigade, Mike Mahlmeister, says a woman is in the house at the time of the fire and she slept inside. She woke up for heat and smoke because she had difficulty breathing. At that time her son came home. He was able to get into the house, get them out with a few pets.

The family lost two dogs, a guinea pig and a gecko in the fire.

The mother and son suffered minor injuries from the heat and had some burns.

Chris Prater from the Ironton fire brigade said that three hydrants, more than 2,000 feet supply line and several hundred foot attack line needed to try to get the flames out.

The cold temperatures did not make work easier because the water pipes froze when the crews tried to get water on the flames.

Prater is also an assistant coach of the Ironon High School Football Team.

He says, as soon as he reacted to the burning house, the boys in the football team informed about the size of the fire.

Before he knew it, the boys were on site and asked what they could do to help. They started with flowing water hoses and did what they could do to give the department a few additional hands and do what they could do without approaching the flames.

Drayden Eden, Jacob Hughes, Silas Keyes, Lance Wetzel and Bubby Kidd were among the football players who help to help.

According to Prater, the crews never recommend that someone get close to an emergency scene and assures the public that the teenagers have not stood in the way and helped out of a safe zone.

Ironton crews were on site until after midnight. They were able to interpret the flames within about 1.5 hours, but remained on site because other work had to be done.

A house nearby caught fire, but the crews could catch it and bring it out with minimal damage.

The crews say that if the teenagers had not come to help, they may have been much longer on the call than them.

The Coal Grove fire brigade supported the department by being in the standby company while the Ironon department responded to this call.

Columbus' knights in ironton ask for donations to help the family with clothes or supplies. You can see the details of the deliveries you collect on your Facebook page.

This is a developing story.

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