Blaze destroys West Side duplex

Officer helps tenants get to safety, treated for smoke inhalation

YOUNGSTOWN -- A West Side duplex was lost in a fire Monday, and a Youngstown police officer was treated for smoke inhalation after helping two tenants out of the burning structure.

One of the tenants believed the blaze to be arson, a fire department report stated.

A passerby alerted firefighters to a building on fire in the 2100 block of Mahoning Avenue near Richview Avenue after 5 p.m., according to a report.

The officer, Tyler Srbinovich, had helped tenants from both sides of the duplex get outside to safety. The report states Srbinovich was treated with oxygen by paramedics at the scene. The officer told fire officials he would drive himself to the hospital to get checked.

The right side of the duplex was engulfed in flames that started on the porch and reached inside to both living rooms into the second floor, the report states. The flames eventually reached the third-floor attic of the structure. Heavy fire and water damage was noted in all sections of the building.

The report states the two tenants were put into contact with American Red Cross officials so they could find housing for the night. One of the tenants, however, refused the aid. One of the tenants also told fire officials he knew someone he believed had started the fire. A fire investigator will be interviewing that tenant about the information, the report states.

The crews needed about 30 minutes to put the main fire out, with firefighters working on the scene for about 90 minutes.

One firefighter had to be treated at the scene for heat exhaustion and minor burns to his hand and shoulder. Another firefighter got debris in his left eye and was treated by paramedics, the report states.

Three cats from a unit were found alive inside on the second floor by firefighters.

A tenant told firefighters there was a cat in the other unit that got out safely, but four two-week-old kittens did not, the report states. The firefighters helped the tenant find her cellphone and laptop, a pistol and some ammunition as they combed through the debris, the report states.

The firefighters left the scene before cleanup crews arrived to board up the structure.