Monday, January 4th, 2010

Fire damages Celina home, belongings

By Margie Wuebker
Photo by Shelley Grieshop/The Daily Standard

Caution tape surrounds the home of Vanessa Wallace, 210 S. Brandon Ave., Celina, following a Saturday night fire that took a heavy toll on the structure as well as the contents. Celina Fire Chief Doug Wolters believes the blaze was electrical in nature.

Celina Fire Department responded to the scene of a Saturday night fire that heavily damaged a local house and destroyed most of the contents.
A neighbor called 911 after spotting smoke coming from the home of Vanessa Wallace, 210 S. Brandon Ave. The unidentified caller also reported seeing some type of light in the basement.
Fire Chief Doug Wolters told The Daily Standard that firefighters found flames and smoke in the attic, throughout the first floor and in the basement upon arriving at the scene shortly after 11 p.m.
No one was home at the time the fire broke out, but Wallace returned home while firefighters were on the scene.
Wolters believes the cause of the fire was possibly electrical in nature. It apparently started in the area of a fuse panel in the kitchen area. The investigation is continuing.
Firefighters had to do some overhaul work in order to access flames in the attic. However, frigid temperatures caused water from the hoses to freeze on the sidewalk and street. The application of salt quickly remedied the situation.
Neither Wallace nor her landlords Ken and Betty Werling of Celina had insurance, according to fire department reports. Wallace is currently residing with relatives and an American Red Cross representative came to the scene to ascertain her needs. No dollar loss has been set at this time, according to Wolters.
Fourteen firefighters and two trucks remained at the location for nearly 41/2 hours.
Subscriber and paid stories on this date
Mercer County Sheriff's deputies continue to investigate a pair of burglaries in the Celina area where the thief or thieves came in search of money.
Involves resurfacing and widening road, improving drainage, other improvements
Mercer County engineers are seeking bids for a bridge project on Tomlinson Road that is estimated to cost more than half a million dollars.
Bids from interested contractors will be opened at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 28 at the Mercer County commissioners' office.
Strong defensive pressure allowed Celina to build a 13-point lead on Delphos St. John's in the first half, which was enough to stave off a seven-minute cold spell in the second half that got the Blue Jays within a point.
COLDWATER - The Coldwater Cavaliers boys basketball team put a nice ribbon on a busy start to the season as they rallied from a 12-point deficit to defeat the Elida Bulldogs, 53-49, in an early season non-league showdown on Saturday night at The Palace.
Local Roundup
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Fort Recovery placed 10 players in the scoring column while breaking the school record for points in a girls basketball game in downing Franklin-Monroe 103-46 on Saturday afternoon at Fort Site Fieldhouse.