COLERAIN TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- Electricity surged on and off in a neighborhood where a home caught fire Saturday morning, according to fire officials.
Crews with Colerain Fire EMS were called to the home on Beckridge Court at about 10 a.m. There was heavy smoke coming from a family room, and the fire blew out several windows.
The family room was below ground level, according to a fire department news release. Firefighters went to the backyard, where there was a basement walk-out, to start putting out the fire.
The family room, laundry room and utility area had serious damage, along with heat and smoke damage to the home's first floor.
Two people inside got out safely because smoke detectors sounded the alarm. The detectors had a battery backup, which fire officials said was critical because the neighborhood had lost power.
The people inside the home said they heard a loud "popping" sound a few minutes before the fire started.
Colerain Fire EMS estimated damage at $175,000.
