SHARONVILLE, Ohio — A local firefighter is picking up the pieces — with the help of his fellow firefighters — after a fire at his own home.
Sharonville firefighter Nic Angerer is usually the one hopping into the firetruck to respond to fires, but last week, he was the one calling 911 for a fire at his house.
Angerer said the family woke up in the middle of the night to their smoke detector going off.
"We had a built-in cabinet into our fireplace that was on fire and I saw it," Angerer said. "Right then, I turned to (my wife) Aimee and I said, 'You need to call 911 now and get the kids out of the house.'"
Now, Angerer and his family are dealing with the damage, which he said will likely include repairs that involve removing part of the roof. He said his living room and kitchen were deemed a total loss.
The family is still waiting to hear exactly what caused the fire, but investigators have narrowed it down.
"It was an act of something failed — either the fireplace because it’s a gas fireplace, we ran it the night before, or it could be something electrical," Angerer said.
As soon as Angerer's fellow firefighters heard about what happened, they jumped into action.
"I started receiving phone calls and texts immediately wanting to know how we could assist them both emotionally, financially, just be there for them," said Sharonville Local 4498 President Ryan Chupka.
They decided a GoFundMe would be the best way to help and within hours, it wasn't just Sharonville firefighters donating but other local departments and even their family members.
"Nurses and firefighters and paramedics, it’s a sisterhood and a brotherhood. We all stick together very much," Angerer's wife Aimee said.
As they get back to work this week, they said they're grateful for all of the support and grateful no one was hurt.
“To have a proper smoke detector, guaranteed it saved our lives that night," said Angerer.
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