Published: January 19, 2010 10:52 am      

Fire destroys local house

By PAUL LORENZ

paul.lorenz@mcleansborotimesleader.com

McLEANSBORO — Fire destroyed a house southwest of the downtown area last week.

City firefighters battled frigid weather conditions as well as fire on the afternoon of Jan. 7 at the residence at 409 W. Cherry St., just east of Heard Street.

There were no injuries, McLeansboro Fire Chief Leroy Browning said.

It’s not known how or where the fire started, he said.

Felicia Meyer, one of the residents of the house, had been asleep but awoke and heard “popping and crackling,” Browning said. Meyer got the family's dogs out of the house, then went down the street to a neighbor’s house to call the fire department, the fire chief said.

The fire department received the call about 11 a.m. Jan. 7, he said. Firefighters were on the scene until 4:45 p.m., then were called back shortly thereafter when the fire rekindled.

Maggie Hoerler of McLeansboro is the property’s owner.

Because of low humidity conditions, steam as well as smoke poured from the house — a white one-story frame-and-block structure — during the early stages of the fire, making it difficult for firefighters to see what they were doing, Browning said.

Thirteen of the city’s volunteer firefighters responded to the call, he said.