Firefighters suffer minor injuries battling blaze at Lowellville home

LOWELLVILLE — Two neighboring fire departments were able to provide enough water to fight a fire that chased a family from its home.

The 3 a.m. Monday blaze started on the outside of the home of the Joe Ruess family, 798 Youngstown-Lowellville Road (state Route 289), and moved into the attic above the kitchen, Fire Chief William Meehan said. The fire was discovered by Ruess when he smelled smoke, Meehan added.

None of the six people in the house at the time of the fire, which included Ruess and his wife, a granddaughter, two nephews and a niece, reported injuries.

Several firefighters, however, suffered minor injuries, but none serious enough to require hospitalization, Meehan said.

The fire chief said the official cause of the fire has not been determined, but an electrical short is suspected. A damage estimate has not been determined.

Meehan said his department received mutual aid from the Coitsville Fire Department and the Western Reserve Joint Fire District, Poland, both of which provided water tankers. The tankers were needed because the Ruess residence is not served by city water. Springfield Fire Department personnel filled air bottles during the blaze.