LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — No one was injured Saturday night after a house fire broke out in southern Indiana, though it took firefighters nearly two hours to bring the blaze under control.
Sgt. Ryan Houchen, a spokesperson for the Highlander Fire Protection District, said crews responded to a “significant” structure fire at 136 Lee Drive in Floyd Knobs.
According to Houchen, smoke alarms sounded inside the garage around 10:15 p.m.
The homeowners discovered flames when they opened the garage door, quickly shut it, and evacuated the house.
Houchen said the fire intensified and began spreading toward the home through a connected breezeway. A new Toyota Sienna hybrid was parked inside the garage. Family members said the vehicle had only 10 miles on it and the couple had not yet made their first payment.
“Hybrid vehicles are difficult to put out,” Houchen said. “You have to use tens of thousands of gallons more than you would for a standard house fire or a regular car fire just to cool the battery down. You’re trying to stop the thermal runaway.”
Firefighters needed nearly two hours to control the fire, partly because there was no hydrant on the street.
“The water company has flush hydrants nearby, but they are not adequate for firefighting,” Houchen said.
While no residents were hurt, one firefighter was taken to the hospital due to exhaustion and is expected to recover.
The cause of the fire remains unknown, and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security’s Fire Marshal is investigating.
Neighbor Tony Hommrich said he was alerted when the fire broke out.
“My neighbor had called on the phone. We were sitting watching a movie. Before I could answer, he was already at the front door,” Hommrich said. “I opened the door, and he said we’ve got a problem next door — it’s on fire. It was already engulfed. We stepped outside and saw flames coming out of the roof. It was taking over the house.”
Hommrich and others watched as the fire spread until crews from Floyd County Fire Territory and the Highlander Fire Protection District arrived.
“Hate to see anybody go through that, especially your friends,” he said. “Some of the structure that burned has collapsed even more.”
Hommrich added that neighbors are now considering contacting the water company about installing more fire hydrants in the area. He also took immediate action at his own home.
“I installed three smoke detectors in the house. We had been talking about it for a while but kept putting it off until now,” he said.
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