Oak Ridge Today

Chief: Don’t fight your own fires

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Electrical Fire

A photo submitted by Oak Ridge Fire Department shows an April fire on East Drive possibly caused by an electrical problem.

So far this year, two Oak Ridge homes have been destroyed by fires after residents tried to fight the flames themselves and calls to 911 were delayed by five minutes or more, Oak Ridge Fire Chief Darryl Kerley said in an e-mail to the media Monday.

Now, Kerley is urging residents to call 911 immediately if they see smoke or fire. “We’re trying to notify the public to please, please call us,” he said.

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Fire destroys east Oak Ridge home

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Fire destroys a home in east Oak Ridge on Friday

Firefighters battle a Friday evening blaze in east Oak Ridge that destroyed a home and left a mother and her two teenage sons with minor injuries.

A mother and her two teenage sons suffered minor injuries and their home was destroyed in a Friday evening fire in east Oak Ridge that was possibly caused by an electrical problem.

Vanessa Todd, 42, and her two sons, Takoda Todd, 14, and Tyler Todd, 13, tried to battle the blaze with a garden hose and rescue their two cats and one dog, but the flames were too powerful.

Two members of the Todd family at an East Drive fire

Vanessa Todd and her son Tyler are pictured above with Oak Ridge Fire Department firefighter Mark White. Not pictured is Todd's other son, Takoda.

“The fire just burned my head,” Vanessa Todd said as she watched firefighters extinguish the flames at 413 East Drive. “It was so hot. I just turned around and ran back out.”

The soot-covered family was able to escape the fire, which started just before 5 p.m. Friday, although their hair was singed and they suffered from smoke inhalation. They were able to rescue their dog Kibo and one of the cats, Syrvio. The other cat, Buddy, is still missing.

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