An accidental kitchen fire mid-afternoon Saturday in a third floor apartment on the 800 block of Sixth Avenue sent a man in his 40s to UPMC Altoona, then to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries from smoke inhalation, according to Altoona Fire Chief Adam Free.

Firefighters responded within 1.5 to two minutes to the 2:48 p.m. alarm called in by a neighbor who saw smoke, and went up into the apartment with two crews, one to fight the blaze in back and one to search for anyone who might be inside, Free said.

They found the man on a bed in the front bedroom unconscious and took him down and outside, where ambulance workers took over his care, Free said.

Firefighters had the fire under control in 25 minutes, he said.

Altoona firefighters battle a blaze in a third floor apartment on the 800 block of Sixth Avenue that sent a man in his 40s to a Pittsburgh hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries from smoke inhalation. Courtesy photo

A second resident of that third-floor apartment wasn’t home at the time, Free said.

In addition to fire damage to the third floor apartment, there was significant water damage down through the second floor apartment, where three people lived; and the first floor apartment, where two people lived, Free said.

The Red Cross was helping the displaced individuals with housing, Free said.

The owner of the wood-frame, brick-cased building has insurance, Free said.

Free estimated there is $25,000 damage to the structure.

Multiple fire crews responded to a mobile home fire on Friday night along Sprankle Avenue in Lakemont. Mirror photo by Nate Powles

A state police fire marshal, the city Fire Department and Altoona police are investigating, Free said.

All 11 firefighters on duty at the time were on scene, in addition to eight firefighters called in, Free said.

The first hydrant that firefighters accessed upon arrival was frozen, so they had to resort to a second hydrant, Free said.

That didn’t delay their firefighting efforts, however, Free said.

Everything around the fire became covered with ice, which required firefighters to use care when walking around, Free said.

Crews were on scene for two hours.

Lakemont mobile home fire

A Friday evening fire destroyed a mobile home on the 400 block of Sprankle Avenue in Lakemont.

The man who lived in the mobile home wasn’t there when the fire started, but called in the alarm at 10:21 p.m. when he returned and saw it, said Lakemont Volunteer Fire Company Chief Mike Yon.

Firefighters were on scene within minutes, thanks to firefighters being in the Lakemont station that evening for a social gathering, Yon said.

When they arrived, the mobile home was fully involved, Yon said.

They began with an exterior attack, which transitioned into an interior attack, he said.

“But there was no saving (the structure),” Yon said.

A dog died in the fire, Yon said.

The resident was a renter, Yon said.

He doesn’t know whether the owner has insurance.

The fire company notified the state police fire marshal.

There were about 30 firefighters on scene.

Among the responding companies were Lakemont Volunteer Fire Department, Excelsior Fire Department, Geeseytown Community Fire Company, Newburg Volunteer Fire Department, Phoenix Volunteer Fire Department, and Freedom Township Volunteer Fire Company.

Firefighters appreciated that nearby hydrants on Sprankle and on Eldon Avenue had been shoveled clear of snow, Yon said.

“(That) saved time,” the chief said.

They also appreciated the hot beverages served at the scene by the Red Cross, he said.

AMED and Logan Township police were also at the scene.

The man who lived in the mobile home was staying with a next-door neighbor, Yon said.

Electrical fire Sunday

An accidental electrical fire in the basement of a house on the 1300 block of 21st Avenue Sunday afternoon displaced the man who lived there and caused $5,000 damage to the basement and additional smoke damage throughout the structure, according to Free.

The man who lived in the house called in the alarm at 1:36 p.m.

Firefighters arrived within two minutes to find smoke and had the fire under control within 15 minutes, Free said.

The Salvation Army and family members are helping the man with housing, as the house is currently uninhabitable, being without electricity, Free said.

The man is a renter, Free said.

Free isn’t sure whether the owner has insurance.

Free is investigating.

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.