Quick response saves home, pets inside

Debra Petsch met firefighters Greg Pollnow, left, and Mike Schoenemann as they carried the couple's four cats from the house in a cat carrier and a storage tote; Schoenemann punched holes in the lid of the plastic tote to let the cats breath. (Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Daily Gazette)

A fire at a McCook home Monday afternoon caused extensive damage to the exterior, but "the quick response" of the fire department kept the fire from spreading to the interior.

McCook Fire Chief Marc Harpham said his firefighters reported heavy smoke and fire coming from the back of Debra and Fred Petsch's house at 810 West M when fire trucks arrived on the scene about 2:45 p.m. "The fire was quickly extinguished," Harpham said, "but not before it caused considerable damage to the exterior of the home and smoke damage to the interior."

Firefighters fighting the blaze also had to contend with steady winds blowing 20 to 23 miles an hour, with gusts up to 31 miles an hour.

The fire department's investigation determined that the blaze started with discarded smoking material on the back deck. "The fire spread up the side of the house and underneath the eave," Harpham said. It melted the power line to the house, starting another small fire in the dry grass, he said.

The Petsches were at Community Hospital of McCook at the time of the fire, having taken a neighbor for physical therapy, Fred Petsch said. Four cats and one small dog were inside the home, but all were located, evacuated and unharmed.

A passerby walking his dog noticed smoke coming from the south side of the house and called 911.

Harpham set initial damage estimates at $15,000 to the structure and $5,000 to the contents. The owner of the home is Wendell Peters of McCook.

American Red Cross representatives arrived on the scene to assist the Petsches with temporary living arrangements.

Harpham sad that 16 firefighters, two pumper trucks, one ladder truck, two ambulances and one command vehicle were on the scene for about 11⁄2 hours.