HOISINGTON — Hoisington firefighters’ quick response is credited with minimal damage and no injuries following a house fire reported Saturday afternoon in the community.

Hoisington Fire Chief Jerry Stricker reported that while the fire was contained to a single room on the ground floor of the home located in the 600 block of West Second Street in Hoisington, contents on both floors sustained damage from the large amounts of smoke and heat generated.

One person was at home at the time in the residence, which contained two adults, four children and several pets, Stricker noted. That person was able to exit the home with no injuries as well as take a pet rabbit to safety. However, one family cat succumbed to the smoke and perished inside the structure, Stricker said.

A quick response

“We got the call about 4:55 p.m. and firefighters were on the scene and rolling within two minutes,” Stricker said. “That’s a really good response time.”

Upon arrival, heavy smoke was visible from the two-story home. “It was generating quite a bit of heat and smoke that was coming up the staircase,” Stricker said. “There were many items upstairs that were melted and otherwise damaged by the heat and smoke.” The bulk of the blaze was contained to one first-floor room, he said.

A crew from Great Bend Fire Department was dispatched for mutual aid to assist with manpower at the scene, Stricker noted.

Also assisting was Hoisington EMS, Hoisington Police Department, Barton County Dispatch, Kansas Gas Service, Hoisington City electrical department and the American Red Cross.

The fire was extinguished within an hour of arrival. Stricker noted that no cause for the blaze has yet been determined, and the investigation is ongoing.

“At this point I’m not going to rule out something electrical,” Stricker said.