Fire causes $130k damage to south Lincoln home

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By the Lincoln Journal Star

The plastic siding on the backside of the home had melted off, but no one was injured in a house fire in south Lincoln Thursday afternoon.

Neighbors called 911 at about 1 p.m. to report the fire at 8330 S. 61st St.  

The family who lived in the house wasn’t home at the time and two dogs found in the home’s basement were safely rescued, according to Deputy Fire Chief Leo Benes.

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Firefighters arrived within five minutes of the 12:46 p.m. call and found heavy smoke and flames at the back of the house, Benes said.

The home, near 56th and Yankee Hill Road, is owned by Ramsey Yousif and Nadeem and Jenan Yousif, according to the Lancaster County Assessor’s Web site.

After arriving, firefighters entered through the front of the home to push the fire out the back of the one-story house.

The fire was controlled within 15 minutes, but firefighters spent several hours making sure it did not spread through the attic.

There isn’t an official cause of the fire yet, but witnesses reported hearing an explosion at one point. A propane tank hooked to a gas grill in the back yard was still in tact after the fire had been extinguished.

Damage to the structure was estimated at $100,000 with an additional $30,000 damage to contents, Benes said. The home’s assessed value is nearly $230,000.

Nobody was home at the time of the fire.

The residents probably won’t be able to occupy the house for several months, but it’s not a total loss. The American Red Cross responded, but residents said they would not need housing, and would stay with family, Benes said.

“It was pretty quick action on the part of our first arriving firefighters,” Deputy Fire Chief Dean Staberg said. “They could have easily lost the whole property.”