A fire broke out before 10 a.m. Monday morning in Bloomingdale, sending one man to the hospital after he repeatedly ran back inside his burning home to rescue his animals. Firefighters say he was able to save several of them, including one of his parrots, but unfortunately, another parrot did not survive the blaze. The man suffered smoke inhalation during those rescue attempts and was transferred to Trinity Hospital by ambulance.
Crews from Unionport, East Springfield, Richmond, Hopedale, Belvedere, and Wintersville all responded. A long, narrow driveway made access difficult.
Fire trucks could not cross a thin bridge leading to the home, forcing crews to drag some of their three-inch hose up the driveway using a pickup truck to reach the fire. While the house is not considered a total loss, firefighters had to remove the back wall, leaving it unlivable for the time being.
