Cat Saved from House after Fire at Bayside Home

Wednesday afternoon at approximately 4:54 PM, the Bayside Communications Center received a 911 call from the resident at 695 W. Calumet Road in River Hills reporting a fire on the second floor of his home.

When firefighters arrived, crews found heavy smoke coming from one side of the structure. They quickly confirmed all occupants of the home had evacuated safely and then initiated an aggressive interior attack on a fire in a second floor bedroom.

During the initial search of the home, crews located and safely rescued a pet cat. The cat appeared to be unharmed and was turned over to the residents.

There were no injuries to the two occupants who were home at the time of the fire, or to any of the emergency personnel operating at the scene.

Fire damage was confined to a second floor bedroom, but there is extensive smoke and water damage to most of the second floor. The first floor remained relatively unscathed. The preliminary damage estimate to the structure and contents is $25,000.

According to officials, the probable cause of the fire was the unsafe disposal of smoking materials since it appears that smoking materials were disposed into a plastic garbage can in the upstairs bedroom, likely sparking the fire.

The resident who found the fire was sleeping and was alerted by the sound of their upstairs smoke alarm.

Additional resources were requested to assist with a water-shuttle operation using water tender trucks; as the area of this fire does not have municipal fire hydrants.