Flames consumed everything but the library books in the residence of 1016 Forest Ave. last week. Late Saturday morning fire erupted in the basement of the house. Two people were in the home at the time, a witness told sources, and "they made sure to rescue their library books" on their way out.

The Northfield Fire Department responded to a report of smoke coming from the basement at 11:40 a.m. The first truck arrived on the scene shortly thereafter. Jeff Machacek, assistant fire chief and scene commander, said the crew made their first attack on the basement. Despite their attempts to contain the flames, the fire had already spread throughout the house.

Firefighters successfully rescued a cat and two hamsters from the house. "Oxygen was administered," Machacek said, "and they seem to be doing just fine." The only injury involved was to the eye of a firefighter who was treated and released from Northfield Hospital.

The cause of the fire is "unknown at this time" according to Machacek. Mike Stowe, another firefighter on the scene, also cited the source as "undetermined." Both men speculated as to the structural safety of the house. Estimated at nearly 100 years old, the construction did not include fire-stops that can prevent fires from rising through the floors.

The house has also been through numerous remodeling ventures. Once a two-story, single family home, it has been converted into three small apartments. The random layout of the three and a half levels along with narrow hallways made the fire a "challenging fight. You couldn't get from one side of the house to another without going outside," said Stowe. Machachek agreed, "We were working in very close quarters. [The fire] was quite difficult, one of the tougher ones we've fought."

According to Machacek, once the basement fire was "knocked down," the firefighters focused their efforts on the kitchen area of the first floor. The flames and smoke extended throughout the house as additional Northfield fire trucks arrived. After monitoring the fire for a short while, Machacek recognized the need for assistance. "I put in a mutual aide call to the Londsdale Fire Department for an additional half dozen fighters," Machacek said.

Moments later, he repeated his request to the Randolph Fire Department. Fire departments throughout Rice County frequently use mutual aide calls to maximize the taxpayers' fire dollars.

It took three hours to control flames on the first and second floors. Hundreds of pounds of icicles and snow prevented the firefighters from tackling the attic fire from the roof. Instead, they were forced to use the weakened second floor as a platform.

Seven hours after the initial phone call, the rotation of 34 firefighters extinguished the fire. Machacek estimated $150,000 in damage. "In all probability, the building is totaled," he said.

The firefighters were greeted by 50 complimentary hamburgers from Northfield's McDonald's as a reward for their efforts.