VIDEO/PHOTOS: Two residents were displaced, and three firefighters were injured while battling an hours-long fire at a downtown DeKalb duplex Saturday, authorities announced Monday. Authorities said the accidental fire appeared to have erupted when someone attempted to use a torch to thaw frozen pipes in the basement. It took 4.5 hours and 36 firefighters – 24 from DeKalb – to get the fire under control in freezing weather conditions, authorities said.
The first DeKalb firefighters arrived about 12:42 p.m. The last ones didn’t leave until Saturday evening. “It was a long day,” Fire Chief Luke Howieson said Monday. He said one firefighter needed some brief treatment at a local hospital emergency department, but most injuries, nothing major, were treated on scene.
He said the two displaced residents – each unit had one person living in it – are being helped by local emergency aid organizations. The American Red Cross and Family Service Agency of DeKalb County are also helping.
