January 22, 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (SH2013-03) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION R. Steve Huffman Public Information Officer (251) 208-2857/Fax: (251) 208-2861 E-Mail: huffman@cityofmobile.org ROSSMERE DRIVE HOUSE FIRE Firefighters responded to the report of a house fire located in the 4000 block of Rossmere Drive early Tuesday morning, January 22. At approximately 4:22 a.m. a neighbor reported the house was on fire and someone was possibly inside. Firefighters arrived on scene reporting the single story; wood frame house was fully involved with fire. Firefighters made entry to extinguish the fire and search for possible occupants and found no one inside. The fire appears to have originated in a family room at the rear of the house and extended up into the attic: causing the same to collapse. The occupant, who later arrived on the scene, told fire investigators that she had been having trouble with her furnace for approximately a week and had been using a space heater and a wood burning stove to keep warm but it only kept the family room warm. She decided to stay with a friend during the night and left a fire in the stove. The cause of the fire appears to be accidental but an exact cause has not been determined. Investigators narrowed the cause down to three possibilities, the wood burning stove caught combustibles on fire, a space heater caught some combustibles on fire or the vent from the stove caught something in the attic on fire. The house was a total loss with damage estimated at approximately $80 thousand. No injuries were reported. Engines 6, 7, 28; truck 5; rescue 6 and District Chief Marquis James responded to the fire. The Bureau of Fire Prevention is conducting the investigation. ###