By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A family of four escaped a house fire in Onalaska overnight and the cause is under investigation.
Lewis County Fire Districts 1 and 8 called about 2:15 a.m. to the home on 1800 block of state Route 508 spotted flames coming out a window and roof vents in the front corner of the upper level, according to District 1 Chief Mark Conner.
A teenage girl awakened to the smell of smoke and saw fire in her closet, Fire Investigator Ted McCarty said.
“She told her sister sleeping in the next bedroom and they ran downstairs and woke up mom and the younger brother,” he said.
The fire was contained to the bedroom and closet, but it left lots of heat and smoke damage upstairs, according to McCarty.
Both the chief and the investigator said there was a wall heater in there, but it didn’t seem to be the problem.
McCarty planned to return in the daylight to try to pinpoint the cause.
The family is staying with relatives and the Red Cross was called to assist, the chief said.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter