Dog Rescued, Family Homeless After Blaze at Utica Condo

A fire at a multi-family attached condominium unit in Utica Tuesday night left one family homeless and a neighbor injured.

Nobody except the family dog was home when a fire broke out at a condo on the 12000 block of East Hickory Street.

Assistant Fire Chief Randy Plante said neighbors reported that they saw smoke emanating from the 1,200-square-foot middle condo complex, which is attached to three other condos.

Fire crews battled the flames for hours and were able to contain the blaze to the unit where the fire started to keep it from spreading to neighboring homes.

The family's dog was rescued. Plante said the dog was taken to a veterinarian and is doing well.  

A resident of the condo complex was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation.

The cause and origin of the fire remain under investigation.

Plante said the outside of the home is still standing but the fire ravaged the inside.

“By all appearances from the outside of the building, the building is standing and the roof is intact. It’s obviously boarded-up but the inside of the home is almost totally destroyed but the outside shell stands,” said Plante.

The family has homeowner’s insurance and is staying at an area hotel, said Plante.