Howland fire causes $85,000 in damage

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Howland fire causes $85,000 in damage
Story by JOE GORMAN and MARLY KOSINSKI in the Tribune Chronicle on 12/27/2008.

HOWLAND - A family of four was shopping for post-Christmas bargains Friday afternoon when their house caught fire, leaving them homeless but uninjured.

Howland fire inspector Kelly McGilton said a neighbor called 911 just before 3:30 p.m. after he saw flames pouring from 1427 Howland Wilson Road N.E. The ranch-style home is at the corner of Sherwood Drive.

The house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, McGilton said. She estimated damage at $45,000 to the home and $40,000 to the contents.

"They lost everything. The smoke alarm was ringing when we got there. If they had been home, it could have been bad," she said.

The cause is listed as undetermined, but the blaze is not considered suspicious.

Kevin Jones, who lives a few doors down, said he was on his back porch when he saw flames and called 911. He and his wife, Marla, ran to the home and banged on windows to see if anyone was inside. The doors were locked.

''The house was full of smoke when we got here,'' Kevin Jones said. ''We couldn't tell if anyone was inside.''

A township police officer also banged on the doors and windows, Jones said. The officer kicked in the door and shouted to see if anyone was inside, but no one answered. Shortly after, the Fire Department showed up, Jones said.

Neighbors said residents were Mike and Elizabeth Delbono. McGilton said the couple was renting the home. They have two children, ages 4 and 9, she said.

The Trumbull-Mercer Chapter of the American Red Cross was called to assist the family.

McGilton said 34 firefighters were at the scene, including personnel from Howland, Bazetta, Vienna and the Youngstown Air Reserve Station. The fire was extinguished within 30 minutes, but crews remained on scene until Friday evening doing cleanup and talking to the insurance company.

The blaze was the latest in a rash of house fires this week in Trumbull County. Greg and Cheryl Olney, 2222 N. River Road N.W. in Warren Township, lost their home to a fire about 3:45 a.m. Monday.

The fire began in the garage, spread to an apartment above it and then to the second floor of the main home, causing approximately $75,000 in damage. The Red Cross was called to assist the family.

A 10:30 p.m. Monday fire at 720 Virginia Ave. in Champion caused $10,000 in damage. The fire started in the attic, the result of an unspecified electrical problem, according to firefighters.

About the same time, Brookfield firefighters responded to a mobile home fire on East Park Drive that displaced three adults. The cause is under investigation and caused about $25,000 in damage, firefighters said.

Warren firefighters responded about 1:30 a.m. Tuesday to a fire at 1592 Edgehill Ave. S.E. in one half of a side-by-side duplex. The fire caused approximately $35,000 in damage was sparked by an unattended candle burning in a bedroom, firefighters said.

In Youngstown, a fire at 1621 Midland Ave. about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday caused approximately $22,000 in damage. The fire was sparked by Christmas decorations, firefighters said.

Christmas decorations also are being blamed for a fire about 11 p.m. last Saturday at 205 Forest Hill Drive in Austintown. No one was injured in the fire, which caused $40,000 worth of damage.

jgorman@tribtoday.com

mkosinski@tribtoday.com

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Tribune Chronicle / Steve Schenck
Smoke and flames pour out of a home at the corner of Howland Wilson Road and Sherwood Drive in Howland Friday afternoon. Firefighters are unsure what sparked the blaze, but it is not listed as suspicious. The residents — two adults and two children — were shopping at the time. They are being assisted by the American Red Cross.

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Here are a couple shots I took of one of Howland's Engines responding to this call...