Fire engulfs home on Franklin, endangers nearby buildings

A fire on the 700 block of Franklin was combatted by numerous firemen and multiple firehoses. Flames burst out the east side of the attic window, with flames licking the building next to it, which houses Healthy Homes Coalition along with apartment buildings and another business downstairs.

Five firemen climbed up to the west roof to break a hole into the roof to encourage the flames to move to the other side, but the fire continued to grow despite efforts. 

The fire appears to have started in the attic, though the cause of fire has not been determined at this time.

"We got the call at 16:22- 4:22 in the p.m.- with a report of a house with a lot of smoke coming out of it," says Battalion Chief Daniel Caillouet. "So we got to the house shortly thereafter and found the attic to be well involved and started fire suppression operations."

Home owners of the vacant house had not yet been located at 5:30 p.m.

"Because it's a vacant house, it can be hard to determine the person who owns it," says Chief Caillouet. 

It appears that a debt collection company called Apex Judgement Recovery and Consulting LLC currently owns the property, according to the accessKent Property/Parcel Lookup database. 

Next door neighbors are reported to have insurance on their own homes, and fire damage was not caused to the houses on either side. Smoke damage results are yet to be determined.

The home on fire is vacant and was under remodeling. No one was reported to be inside the house at the time the fire started.