Monday, May 31, 1999

Girl, grandmother escape

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BY WILLIAM A. WEATHERS
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Constance Zannis fainted Sunday upon seeing the damage the fire did to the interior of her house. Capt. Steve Phillips, left, and Lt. Joe Arnold carry her out. | ZOOM |

        A three-alarm fire caused an estimated $500,000 damage to a three-story home in an upscale Clifton neighborhood Sunday afternoon.

        A woman and her teen-age granddaughter safely escaped the smoke-filled house in the 300 block of Warren Avenue before it burst into flames.

        District Fire Chief Glenn Coleman said heavy fire and black smoke were coming from the first floor of the home, owned by Nicholas and Constance Zannis, when firefighters arrived. Fifty-six fire fighters fought the blaze, which started in a first-floor bedroom.

        “The damage on the first floor was really extensive,” Chief Coleman said. “There was smoke damage on the second and third floors.”

        The value of contents lost in the fire was about $100,000, fire officials said.

        “There were a lot of antiques. The place was really well decorated,” Chief Coleman said.

        Mrs. Zannis collapsed upon seeing the interior loss, he said. She was revived and did not require hospitalization.

        Neighbor Tom Osterman was on the third floor of his home across the street when he saw the granddaughter helping her grandmother out of the house. Then he noticed smoke coming from the first floor.

        “I yelled to my wife to call 911,” Mr. Osterman said.

        Meanwhile, Mr. Osterman grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran to the burning home. Another neighbor, Harold Dates, arrived at the same time.

        “We both had fire extinguishers,” Mr. Osterman said. “We thought it was a small fire.”

        But it was too late for fire extinguishers, Mr. Osterman said. “There was very heavy smoke. It just exploded” in flames. Another neighbor said it was a short time after smoke first appeared that the home burst into flames. “It literally couldn't have been more than five minutes,” the neighbor said.

        The cause of the fire, which was reported at 1:06 p.m., remained under investigation. The fire went to three-alarm status “due to the heat conditions” — the fire plus the 80-degree-plus air temperature — which required a constant rotation of firefighters to keep them fresh, Chief Coleman said.

       

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