Fire ravages the home of three College students

The home of three College students caught fire last Friday from an unknown origin. Junior Erin Savage and seniors Amy Kremen and Katherine Kiger were out of their apartment at 12:30 p.m. when the first call went in to the fire department reporting smoke in their residence at 126 E. Lorain St.

Savage said she was at Mudd when a friend told her of her apartment.

"My friend rode by on her bike and saw my house burning down. She found me and came up to me and I knew something was wrong. And I thought 'a friend of mine's died' and she said, 'Erin, you gotta sit down' and she said 'your house is burning down' and I said, 'phew! Thank God' because I thought a friend had died."

According to the Oberlin Fire Department, firefighters arrived on the scene and found a heavy volume of smoke coming from the first floor at the front of the house. The firefighters searched the house for residents and found nobody at home. The fire was declared under control at 1:35 p.m.

The house sustained heavy fire and heat damage to the first and second floor apartments according to Fire Chief Dennis Kirin. Kirin said there were 20 firefighters from Oberlin and the Wllington Fire District and Carlisle Township Fire Department provided assistance throughout the day.

Oberlin firefighter Matt Fridenstine was treated for rib pain and exhaustion at Allen Memorial Hospital.

Firefighters remained on the scene until 5:15 when they had finished helping the residents remove whatever personal property that was salvagable and begin initial investigation into the cause of the fire.

Savage said the fire department still does not know what the cause of the fire was.

"They have no clue. They are pursuing every lead from electrical to arson. They're doing a great job in trying to be as thorough as possible," Savage said.

The house was occupied by six people. A family of three resided on the first floor where the fire is thought to have originated. Toni Walker, a member of the family, was the first to report smoke coming from the second floor window. Walker, her husband and daughter then fled the house.

Savage said she thought it was very sad that the Walker family had lost so much.

"I lost everything I owned. That sounds too self-pitying. It's really upsetting to go back up there. Really upsetting. I keep remembering things to look for," Savage said.

The conflict is between knowing that what was lost was only material and knowing that you need things to live a normal life.

"I feel hypocritical...but even Buddhists need to brush their teeth," Savage said.

The College is dealing with the fire by monetarily supporting the students. Dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole Newkirk said she heard of the fire that afternoon.

"I went out and called Bill Stackman and we jumped in my car and went down there. It was clear that the first floor residents had lost almost everything," Cole said.

The College gave financial support to the students involved to buy them books and get them through the weekend. "We responded to immediate needs. The staff and I worked on that all weekend," Cole said.

"Everybody has been amazing. Absolutely amazing," Savage said. She said the landlord John Fitch has been great and that the College has helped out a lot too.

The College is housing Savage in Baldwin Cottage until she can secure housing elsewhere. "The community at Baldwin has been great," Savage said.

Savage's parents' homeowners insurance will cover Savage's losses, she said.

As of Friday moring, the cause of the fire was yet unknown. "We are waiting for a couple more lab results," Kirin said.

Kremen and Kiger were unavailable for comment.

Painful reminders: The porch at 126 E. Lorain after a fire started from an unknown origin. (photo by Laren Rusin)

Bottom Photo:

First responder: An Oberlin Fire Department fire truck responded to the fire at the home of three Oberlin students last Friday. (photo by Heidi Johnson)