Juvenile charged in Red Oak house fire | News

(Red Oak) -- A Red Oak youth is accused of setting fire to a house earlier this week.

Red Oak Police say the 11-year-old juvenile was charged Friday with reckless use of fire in connection with the blaze destroying the residence at 211 West Reed Street Wednesday evening. Charges were filed following a joint investigation by police, the Red Oak Fire Department and the State Fire Marshal's Office. Red Oak Fire Chief John Bruce tells KMA News the first unit responded to the fire, which originated in a garage attached to the west side of the house, at approximately 7:15 p.m.

"The first arriving fire department person got there at 7:19," said Bruce. "They reported heavy fire involvement within that garage. It actually extended into the two-story residence there at 211 West Reed Street."

Bruce says firefighters began a lengthy battle with the blaze after the house's occupants escaped.

"The tenants were still coming out of the house at the time," he said. "They were able to make sure they had everyone out of the residence. They began the attack on the fire, and got it pretty well knocked down in the garage. But, due to the multiple constructions that had taken place at this residence over the course of its life, it actually had been divided into multiple apartments at one time. There was considerable void space, and that fire had actually extended from the garage into the main portion of the house, and into the attic."

The chief says it took several hours--and firefighters--to bring the fire under control.

"We finished up fire ground operations at about 16 minutes after midnight," said Bruce. "So, we had about a five-hour on scene time. Because we had so much interior fire suppression efforts that needed to be done, we actually ended up calling in multiple agencies just for personnel, so we could get them rotated in and out of the structure."

Fire and EMS units from Elliott, Villisca, Emerson, Essex and Stanton, as well as Montgomery County Emergency Management, Red Oak Police and the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office assisted Red Oak's department at the scene. Bruce also credited the county's communications center and American Red Cross workers for their assistance. The structure is a total loss. Bruce declined further comments on how the fire started. He adds it's fortunate the family living in the house at the time escaped without injuries, as there were no working smoke detectors in the house.