A two-alarm fire at an apartment building in Evanston Sunday left one man in serious condition and displaced five people from their homes.

        Cincinnati firefighters were called about 10 a.m. to 2051 Hewitt Ave., a three-story brick building on the corner of Hewitt and Evanston avenues. The first of 41 firefighters to arrive found heavy smoke, fire showing from first floor windows and people trapped inside, said District 1 Fire Chief Alan Sedam. Three people were rescued from the building.

A two-alarm fire on the corner of Hewitt and Evanston avenues Sunday morning injured one man and displaced five people. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

        Ernest Davis was taken to University Hospital for smoke inhalation and a possible minor burn. His condition was upgraded to stable Sunday night.

        “He was found in the hallway outside the bedroom where the fire started,” Chief Sedam said. “I'd say they got to him in the nick of time. They heard him cough, and by the time they got to him, he was unconscious.”

        Dressed in a blue robe, his shaken wife, Mary Davis, sat on the lawn across from the building as paramedics checked her.

        Neighbor Lisa Randle said she had just returned from work when she smelled smoke and heard a commotion outside.

        “When I came out, I saw a lot of smoke. Next thing I know, I saw flames,” Ms. Randle said. “Mary was outside screaming, "Fire!' It was a lot of chaos with people trying to get out of the building. A fire is such a tragedy. They probably lost everything in there. You see it all the time, but you never expect it.”

        Diana Williams, 41, was talking on the phone in her apartment when she learned of the fire.

        “They was hollering for me,” she said. “Once I got out of the building, I could see flames coming out of the building.”

        The fire, which caused $20,000 damage, remains under investigation. There were no working smoke detectors on the first or second floors.

        The American Red Cross is assisting those who are displaced.
       

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