Fire Forces Bayville Man From Home

A Christmas Eve fire forces a Bayville man from his home.

David Jones tells the Berkeley Patch that he was out doing Christmas shopping late Saturday afternoon when he received a call from a neighbor that his Grand Central Avenue home was on fire. "He said it was bad."

According to the Patch more than 50 volunteer firefighters from the Bayville, Pinewald and Manitou Park fire companies responded to the fire in the modest ranch home . It took nearly 45 minutes to extinguish, said Bayville Fire Chief Ken Anderson, noting a lack of fire hydrants in the area forced them to call in pumper trucks to supply water to fight the fire.

Anderson told the Patch there was heavy fire at the back of the house when he arrived, and flames were visible coming through the roof. The fire burned holes in the siding on one end of the house and left it uninhabitable, with both structural and heavy smoke damage. As firefighters began venting smoke from the home, charred rafters could be seen through a hole near the peak of the roof.