Family homeless after duplex fire
- A fire in a city duplex along the 1500 block of 19th Avenue caused between $40,000 and $75,000 worth of damage Tuesday afternoon, leaving a family homeless, fire officials said. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
- Firefighters work to control a blaze at a duplex on the 1500 block of 19th Avenue on Tuesday. Mirror photo by William Kibler

A fire in a city duplex along the 1500 block of 19th Avenue caused between $40,000 and $75,000 worth of damage Tuesday afternoon, leaving a family homeless, fire officials said. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski
A fire in a city duplex caused between $40,000 and $75,000 worth of damage Tuesday afternoon, leaving a family homeless, according to Altoona Fire Department officials.
A mother and two young children evacuated when the fire was small, after which the fire department was summoned to the building on the 1500 block of 19th Avenue, according to fire inspector Justin Smithmyer.
“They did the right thing,” Smithmyer said.
The fire seems to have started in the kitchen of the dwelling closest to 16th Street, according to Fire Chief Adam Free.
The fire department got the call at 4:09 p.m. and firefighters were on scene in less than a minute, thanks

Firefighters work to control a blaze at a duplex on the 1500 block of 19th Avenue on Tuesday. Mirror photo by William Kibler
to Fire Station No. 1 being only a few blocks away, according to Free.
The alarm came in shortly before the department’s 4:30 p.m. shift change, so a total of 23 firefighters were available — 12 from the first shift, Free said.
Firefighters brought a hose into the first floor and then pulled lines up to the second floor and attic, Free said.
They brought the fire under control within 20 or 25 minutes, Free said.
The section of the duplex where the fire began was damaged by fire, smoke and water, while the other section was damaged by smoke and water only, Free said.
The building will probably be salvageable, although that will depend on the ruling of the insurer, according to both Smithmyer and Free.
As a rental property, the house is required to be insured, Free said.
Reportedly, a total of five people from the same family lives in the duplex, occupying both sides, according to Free.
The Red Cross was called, according to Free.
If necessary, the Red Cross could help the fire victims find a place to stay, he said.
Smithmyer didn’t know the cause of the blaze, he said, prior to having had a chance to inspect the interior.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.