911 service interrupted

911 service interrupted

GIRARD

The emergency 911 answering point at the Girard Police Department in City Hall was knocked out of service by a tractor-trailer that hit low-hanging utility wires at 5 p.m. Sunday; and 911 was expected to remain out of service this morning.

“It was a main trunk line” serving all of City Hall that was disrupted, said Firefighter Nathan Walker, who urged anyone reporting an emergency to call the fire department at 330-545-4321.

Walker said the fire department, which is in a separate building, would dispatch whatever emergency services are needed.

The truck hit both telephone and electric wires, knocking out electricity to 163 customers, and broke a utility pole while turning around in the Boardman Medical Supply parking lot, Walker said.

Broadway off U.S. Route 422 was still closed late Sunday as Ohio Edison and AT&T crews were still on the scene.

There were no injuries.

House fire probed

YOUNGSTOWN

A Saturday evening fire that destroyed a split-level home on the city’s South Side during its remodeling is under investigation and listed as suspicious, the fire department said.

The alarm came in for the blaze at 730 Mineral Springs Ave. at 9:59 p.m.

Responding firefighters encountered heavy smoke, and as soon as they opened the garage door, flames erupted and engulfed the house within five minutes, said Battalion Chief Silverio Caggiano.

“All the fire was looking for was oxygen,” he observed.

Although the home was occupied, the blaze is listed as suspicious because nobody was home when it erupted, and there would have been no likely reason for the fire to start under those conditions unless it was intentionally set, he explained.

A hot spot rekindled at 9:16 p.m. Sunday and was quickly doused by firefighters.

The house, valued at $35,000, was declared a total loss.