Tuesday’s fire at a home on Third Street in Masury rendered two residences uninhabitable, although the fire touched only one of them.

Electric power was routed from the house at 7895 Third St. to a mobile home behind it, said Brookfield Fire Chief David Masirovits. When power was cut to the house, it also was cut to the mobile home, he said.

American Red Cross is assisting the people who lived in both houses – a total of seven people – including with housing, he said.

The property’s owner is Joshua McConnell, according to the Trumbull County auditor. A Go Fund Me page has been set up by Brookfield High School student Eithan McConnell, who lived there, and Full Circle Body Art of Sharon is collecting clothing. Go to gofundme.com or the Full Circle Facebook page for more information.

Brookfield High School is collecting donations such as gift cards and food for the families and the district will use grant funds to help them with housing “until they can work something out with insurance,” said school Supt. Toby Gibson.

A state fire marshal is investigating the cause but firefighters do not believe it was set, Masirovits said.

The blaze started in the front of the house – it was called in as a porch fire – and people who were home at the time tried to put it out with water. When they found the couldn’t, they called for help and got out, Masirovits said. Flames spread quickly.

“It’s that balloon-frame construction again, we talked about before, where the fire just goes directly up, gets into the attic and once it gets there, especially with the wind, the way it was driving last night, just pushed that fire through the house,” Masirovits said.

Balloon-frame construction was outlawed years ago, he said.

The house was built in 1928, according to the auditor, and its construction is similar to a home on Brookfield Avenue that burned Jan. 28, Masirovits said.

“We were able to make a good stop on it,” he said. “Although it doesn’t look like it, we were able to prevent it from going the rest of the way through the house.”

A cat got out but has not been located, Masirovits said. No humans were injured.

The house is insured.

Brookfield Fire Department was assisted by Brookfield Police Department, firefighters from Sharon, Hubbard, Vienna, Burghill Vernon and Hermitage, and McGonigle Ambulance.

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