A fire on Second Avenue forced one family out of its home early Friday, although for 10-month old Kaidynce Morales, it was just another night.
"She's pretty good," said Kaidynce's mother, Kristina Rogers, 26, of 909 Second Ave., where city firefighters responded at 4:42 a.m. to find flames running along the outside wall of the home.
"She was sleeping the whole time," Rogers said.
Rogers, along with her boyfriend, Victor Morales, 31, their infant daughter and the family dog escaped the home safely after a smoke alarm woke Rogers, she said.
"It was smoky but I couldn't see any fire," Rogers said.
She walked outside and a neighbor told her her house was on fire, she said.
Flames were poking out the eaves and an outside wall when firefighters arrived from Station 3 on Crawford Avenue, Altoona Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Tofano said.
"The fire just ran the walls, basically all the way up," Tofano said.
The fire started in a first-floor wall and was caused by electrical wiring, Tofano said. A preliminary estimate of the damage to the home is $10,000, Tofano said.
Chief Tim Hileman said it took about a half hour to put out the fire. No one was injured, although one neighbor was taken to the hospital for treatment for an unknown medical condition not related to the fire, Hileman said.
Firefighters were called back to the home Friday afternoon after the building's owner and an insurance adjuster noticed smoke. A piece of smoldering insulation had fallen down between the walls and wasn't picked up by thermal imaging equipment Friday morning as firefighters inspected the house after putting the fire out.
The downside to the thermal imaging is the equipment only picks up temperatures through about the equivalent of a sheet of drywall, Hileman said.
In older homes, such as the one on Second Avenue, that have had extensive remodeling, there are often crawl spaces and gaps where burning debris can fall several floors and smolder without being detected, he said. Apart from ripping out walls, firefighters have to rely on their equipment, as well as noses and eyes, when going over a house after a fire.
Hileman said flare-ups happen from time to time despite the best efforts of firefighters and it took less than 10 minutes to put out and that firefighters stayed on scene for another hour Friday afternoon just in case.
Tofano said the house's close proximity to Station 3 meant firefighters were on scene within a minute of the 911 call.
Rogers said the family is staying temporarily with her brother and hadn't had a chance to return to the house to inspect the damage to their personal belongings. The couple does not have renter's insurance, Rogers said.
The home will be liveable once repairs are made. Tofano said. But for now, the family is looking for a new home, Rogers said.
The owner of the building, James Ganey, could not be reached for comment Friday.
Mirror Staff Writer Greg Bock is at 946-7458.
