MOUNT VERNON — Two small children were rescued from a house fire early this morning at 301 Coshocton Ave. by Knox County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Ryan Burgess, who was first on the scene. Off-duty Mount Vernon Firefighter Nick Cockrell arrived shortly after Burgess and ran to assist.
According to homeowner Joanne Lemay, she was in the garage when the fire broke out in the rear porch of the two-story house. “I heard a pop and ran out and saw the flames,” Lemay said. Her two daughters, ages 3 and 6, were inside the house.
Lemay was trying to get her two children outside when Burgess arrived. “He was running around the front of the house and he helped me get them out,” she said. “He [Cockrell] was running up behind him.”
Cockrell said he had left the Mount Vernon fire station after his shift and was driving on Coshocton Avenue when he saw the smoke and flames. “Fire was blooming out of the back,” he described. “I radioed the station and assisted the deputy.”
Resident Trent Hauke was driving by when he saw the flames and the men running into the house. “I saw the fire in the back and the officer running in,” he said. “I thought, ‘I better stop, my gosh.’ Then I saw him come out and he had two kids in his arms.”
Hauke helped the little girls into his truck to keep warm. Two dogs who also escaped the fire also stayed in Hauke’s truck while firefighters arrived and fought the fire.
MVFD Chief Shawn Christy and Assistant Chief Chris Menapace directed the actions of the 10 MVFD firefighters and Fredericktown firefighters who responded as mutual aid.
Menapace said two engines and a medic from MVFD and an engine company from Fredericktown were all involved in the fire operations.
An initial crew worked on fighting the fire at the back of the house while a second crew used another hoseline to prevent fire extension into the rest of the house. Menapace said a third crew entered the house for a secondary search.
No one was injured in the fire, but the frigid temperatures and heavy work being done by fire crews prompted the MVFD to bring their rehab vehicle to the scene to provide a place for firefighters to take short breaks and have a hot cup of coffee.
“That’s the difference between here and the big city,” Christy said, pointing out that firefighters went right back to firefighting after a short break instead of waiting for fresh crews.
Menapace said the fire appeared to have been caused when a Halogen lamp overturned onto some clothes, igniting them. The flames spread into the rest of the porch, including the roof, and the kitchen. The entire house sustained smoke damage.
The Knox County Chapter of the American Red Cross is on the scene to assist the family.
After the fire was extinguished, Christy described the actions of Cockrell and Burgess. “From what I understand, firefighter Cockrell and Dept. Burgess, both of them went in to evacuate the house prior to our arrival,” he said.
“The house was fully involved in fire with heavy smoke, and everyone was safe in part due to the efforts of Firefighter Cockrell and Dept. Burgess,” Christy said.
Burgess told firefighters he was going home to get some sleep following his shift and his actions at the fire.
Cockrell downplayed the incident after assisting his fellow firefighters with equipment at the scene. “He’s [Burgess] the hero. I’m just the assistant,” Cockrell joked after the fire. “I was just doing my job.”\
