Large House Fire In Battle Creek Leaves One Firefighter Injured

A response by Battle Creek firefighters to a blaze at an abandoned home was made more difficult by a Fourth of July party that was taking place.

The Battle Creek Fire Department says that around 11:40pm Thursday, they were called to a reported house fire on Oneita St. near Greenwood. Crews arrived to find a single family home that had heavy fire showing from the back; the entire structure was filled with smoke. The response was complicated by a few things, including a large Fourth of July party that saw many people and parked vehicles along the street, as well as a live electrical line that was down in the backyard.

This house was vacant, and had caught fire previously. Despite the difficulties caused by the crowds and the hour it took for Consumers Energy to respond to the downed line, firefighters were able to get the fire "under control fairly quickly, with a lot of overhaul to check for fire extension".

During the response, one fire lieutenant had to be treated at the scene after they suffered heat exhaustion.

Right now, the cause of the fire is undetermined, but the fire marshal was called it to investigate.