MONROE - Nathaniel Scott's first concern when he saw smoke in his home was to get his mother out since she's hooked up to a highly flammable oxygen tank.
"I turned it off and got her out of there," Scott said midday Wednesday, July 24, as he stood shoeless across the street from the house at 3030 12th St. and watched firefighters working.
Five Monroe fire trucks, plus one from New Glarus, were dispatched to the basement fire at 2:31 p.m.
The fire was under control seven minutes after the first truck arrived at 2:37 p.m., according to Monroe fire chief Daryl Rausch. Fire damage was confined to the basement, but smoke damage extended into the first and second floors.
Rausch estimates structural damages in the rental home at $20,000. The owner, Eric Ekum, has the house insured but the residents do not have renter's insurance, Rausch said.
The fire started with what sounded like something heavy falling, Scott said. Then he heard a second loud noise, like an explosion.
"Black smoke started pouring up through the vents," he said. His sister, also at home when the fire started, lost control of her legs from shock and had to be carried out.
Cuts on her hands were the only injuries reported from the fire, Rausch said.
The origin of the fire is still under investigation. Previous water damage and an excessive amount of stuff stored in the basement may be contributing factors, Rausch said.
"I turned it off and got her out of there," Scott said midday Wednesday, July 24, as he stood shoeless across the street from the house at 3030 12th St. and watched firefighters working.
Five Monroe fire trucks, plus one from New Glarus, were dispatched to the basement fire at 2:31 p.m.
The fire was under control seven minutes after the first truck arrived at 2:37 p.m., according to Monroe fire chief Daryl Rausch. Fire damage was confined to the basement, but smoke damage extended into the first and second floors.
Rausch estimates structural damages in the rental home at $20,000. The owner, Eric Ekum, has the house insured but the residents do not have renter's insurance, Rausch said.
The fire started with what sounded like something heavy falling, Scott said. Then he heard a second loud noise, like an explosion.
"Black smoke started pouring up through the vents," he said. His sister, also at home when the fire started, lost control of her legs from shock and had to be carried out.
Cuts on her hands were the only injuries reported from the fire, Rausch said.
The origin of the fire is still under investigation. Previous water damage and an excessive amount of stuff stored in the basement may be contributing factors, Rausch said.