Chest-High Debris Creates Challenges for KY Firefighters

Dec. 22, 2020
Large amounts of debris and clutter throughout a burning Lexington home made it difficult for firefighters to enter the structure and put out the flames.

A house on Georgetown Street caught fire early Monday, and the contents of the house caused substantial challenges for Lexington firefighters.

The fire department responded around 3:30 a.m. to the residence in the 800 block of Georgetown Street and found smoke coming from the home. "Chest-high debris" throughout the house made it impossible for firefighters to make entry into the residence, Battalion Chief Jordan Saas said. All the debris in the house made it difficult for firefighters to tell if they'd extinguished the fire.

"There could be fire that is deep-seated in the debris that we don't know about," Saas said.

Firefighters hadn't found anyone in the home as of 7 a.m., Saas said, but they hadn't been able to get into much of the house.

"Fire crews were able to get into and search one of the bedrooms, but that search was negative," Saas said. "All attempts to contact the homeowner have been unsuccessful up to this point."

Responders were still on scene as of 7:30 a.m., and it was likely they'd remain for a while, Saas said. Georgetown Street was shut down in both directions between Price Road and Roosevelt Boulevard due to the fire, according to the Lexington Traffic Management Center.

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