INDIAN HILL --
Eleven firefighters were injured while fighting a house fire in Indian Hill on Wednesday night.
The fire broke out at a home at 9550 Cunningham Rd. shortly after 7 p.m.
The homeowner, James Jaeger, told News 5 that he and his wife were alerted to the fire when an alarm went off while they were eating dinner.
Jaeger said he went upstairs and found some smoke, then suddenly a lot more smoke.
Homeowner Talks About Fire, Future
"When your house is on fire and you call 911, it's hard to even talk. And I just said, 'This is Jim Jaeger, 9550 Cunningham Road, and the house is on fire," he said.
Fire Chief Steve Ashbrock said there was a flashover explosion inside the home, injuring six firefighters, burning at least one of them seriously. Ashbrock could not say where the firefighters were in the home when the flashover occurred.
Fire Chief Describes What May Have Happened Inside Home
Jaeger said he was outside when he heard a "whump" and all the windows in the house blew out as the explosion occurred.
The fire reached three alarms shortly before 7:30 p.m., and firefighters were ordered out of the 12,000-square-foot home which used to be part of the Kroger family's farm.
Firefighters and paramedics from nearly a dozen fire departments assisted at the fire.
Firefighters had trouble with some hydrants in the area, and tanker support was requested from Warren County.
A medical helicopter was dispatched to the scene to deal with one injured firefighter, and the others were sent to University Hospital and Bethesda North Hospital. A University Hospital spokesman said some of the injured had third-degree burns to the face and neck.
A seventh firefighter was sent to Jewish Hospital for observation after suffering a shoulder injury fighting the fire, while an eighth went to University Hospital for breathing problems. Three others were treated for minor injuries.
The $5.2 million home is considered a total loss. Jaeger said he and his wife were not hurt, though they did lose one kitten to the fire.
"There's a lot of stuff in there, but, oh well, it's just stuff. I just don't know where I am going to be staying for a while," he said.
Images: Firefighters Injured In Indian Hill Fire
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