GREENTOWN — A home was heavily damaged in an overnight fire in Stark County, which sent a family of five to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
The blaze erupted around 1:50 a.m. Thursday and the home quickly became engulfed in flames on Donner Street Northwest in Greentown.
“There was fire out of every window and it was pretty much going through the roof when we started our tactics,” fire officials say.
When firefighters first responded to the scene, they were told a 10-year-old girl was trapped in the house. That child, however, was found several miles away from the home with the family dog in front of a Marc’s plaza on North Main Street. Officials say the child had walked there, but they are unclear why.
Authorities say it was also this 10-year-old who alerted her family to the fire.
“She went into her mom and dad’s room, woke them and pounded on her brothers doors,” fire officials say.
She then reportedly exited out of the rear of the house.
Fire officials say she saved her family’s lives.
“She was taken to Aultman Hospital to be with her family, which was taken for evaluation of smoke inhalation.”
Multiple fire departments responded to the scene to assist in battling the blaze.
Smoke detectors were working in the home.