An East Forest Park home sustained between $60,000 and $80,000 in damage during a fire Saturday morning and three people are being cared for by the Red Cross.
Springfield firefighters ventilate the attic area of the home at 43 Castle Street Saturday morning.SPRINGFIELD - Three East Forest Park residents are homeless after a fire sparked by careless disposal of smoking materials, according to Dennis Ledger, public information officer for the city fire department.
Around 4:55 a.m., firefighters were called to 43 Castle Street and upon arrival, they found a room above the front porch engulfed in flames. Although crews put out the fire quickly, the damage had already been done.
"Firefighters did a good job containing the fire," Ledger said, "but there is no real way to stop smoke and water damage."
The four-bedroom home was built in 1914 and the property sold for $142,000 in 2008 according to the city's online assessment database.
Ledger said the incident caused between $60,000 to $80,000 worth of damage and left the three residents without a place to stay. The Red Cross is assisting them with their immediate needs, Ledger said, and fire crews remained on the scene until 7:45 a.m. Saturday morning.