FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (SH2002-11) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION R. Steve Huffman Public Information Officer (251) 208-5806/Fax: (251) 208-5813 E-Mail: huffman@cityofmobile.org HOUSE FIRE AT 2513 TAYLOR AVENUE, NO INJURIES REPORTED Mobile Firefighters responded to a house fire at 2513 Taylor Avenue at Richard Avenue on Monday, February 25, 2002. The call was received at approximately 11:53 a.m. reporting the fire and power lines down on the house. Firefighters arrived at approximately 11:57 a.m. and reported heavy fire and smoke coming from the one-story, wood frame structure and a power line down in the street and yard. The occupant/owner Gene Fox, 27, told Mobile Fire Investigators that he works out of his house and had been outside in the garage measuring cabinets for a client. He went back inside and noticed smoke near the ceiling of the kitchen and upon further investigation discovered flames in a front room he was using as an office for his contracting business. Fox told investigators that he had two cats and was attempting to get them out and was forced to leave because of the smoke and heat from the fire. Firefighters found one cat dead in the house but were unable to find a second one. Fox's wife, Julie, was not home at the time of the fire. The fire appears to have originated in the front room and spread up the wall into the attic and throughout the house. Damage is estimated at approximately $50 thousand. The cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time. Investigators found a couple of possible causes but an exact cause has not yet been determined. The fire appears to be accidental however. No injuries were reported. Engines 9, 12, 23, truck 17, rescue 23 and District Chief Ricky Brannon responded to the call. ###