CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – Elyria Firefighters rescued over 15 dogs and say a homeowner made their house fire worse Sunday.
Crews were called to a home on fire at 378 Hawthorne in Elyria around noon.
When the first engine company arrived, Assistant Fire Chief Dean Marks told 19 News they not only spotted heavy smoke coming from the house.
“They also were reporting that the residents were breaking out the windows,” said Assistant Chief Marks.
Firefighters say breaking windows creates a backdraft situation that can make the fire much worse for the homeowner and firefighters.
“The issue with that is most people don’t realize that by breaking the windows, they’re actually not letting the smoke out,” said Assistant Chief Marks. “They’re introducing the air and oxygen, which makes the fire grow in intensity – and makes it worse for everything inside there.”
As soon as Elyria Fire was able to get the fire under control, they went in through a side door to get at least 15 dogs out of the basement.
“We do have an ambulance service that was on the scene and did give some of the dogs oxygen. I’m not sure how many. I think the guys were surprised when they kept going in and kept finding more dogs,” Assistant Fire Marks said.
Investigators believe the fire started in the kitchen, but are still working to determine the cause.
The owner of the home did receive cuts to her arms from breaking the windows and initially refused medical attention, but was later taken to the hospital.
The Animal Protective League (APL) was called in to shelter the dogs.
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