By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
Thursday afternoon kept firefighters from not only Bucyrus, but also Galion, very busy as they battled two house fires in Bucyrus.
The Galion firefighters initially came to the aid of the Bucyrus crew fighting a fire at 1031 Wingert Street. That home belongs to Brian Mullins and Michelle Cross. The fire there broke out about 1:30 Thursday afternoon.
Two pets, one cat and a bird, perished in the fire. Two other cats were found and one is still missing.
“Right now from the reports we got the fire may have started in the garage,” said Capt. Chad Schwemley of the Bucyrus Fire Department.
With crews still at the Wingert Street scene, another call came in just after 3 o’clock at 624 East Warren Street. The fire there is thought to have started in front of the kitchen window.
The house is a rental and owned by Manzo Surgener. Samantha and Clinton Rigney live at the house along with their four children and two other adult relatives. One of the adults was home at the time and was aided in getting out by neighbors who saw smoke.
No damage estimates are available for either fire and both remain under investigation. Both families have been displaced and are being aided by the American Red Cross.