Firefighter injured, several cats die in house fire

A firefighter was injured, and several cats died after a house fire in North Olmsted early Tuesday morning. Crews from North Olmsted and at least six neighboring departments responded to a home on Tennyson Lane just before 3 a.m.

A firefighter who fell off a ladder was treated at a nearby hospital and released.

North Olmsted’s Fire Chief Eddie Schepp said crews had to fight the fire from outside because of how much stuff was inside the home.

On the second floor of the home was a box of fireworks. While crews were battling the fire, those fireworks went off — and shot from the windows.

Neighbors described to News 5 how they thought it was gunshots before noticing the colorful fireworks going off inside the home.

Marilyn and Kathy Slenczka live next door.

"The whole house was on fire, the flames were just shooting up and they had a hard time controlling it at first," Marilyn Slenczka said.

"It sounded like a bomb, like something exploding," Kathy Slenczka added. "I thought someone was outside drilling in the street for a new road and I thought why would they do that at this hour. That's how loud it was."

Firefighters recovered more than a dozen cats from the burning property. Some of the cats died.

News 5 spoke with the homeowner, Bob Fandrich, early Tuesday morning, who described how he and his brother escaped safely and how his brother tried to contain the fire with a fire extinguisher.

"It just got so bad, that he couldn't see anymore," he explained. "It's terrible. I don't know where we're going to stay or anything."

Schepp said it’s unclear how the fire started and if the house had working smoke detectors. The home is believed to be a total loss.