A residential fire at 2520 Pullins Drive just east of Urbana on Thursday night caused extensive damage and losses, forcing a local pastor and his young family to need emergency assistance.

According to records on the Champaign County Auditor’s website, the residence is owned by Daniel and Amber Doleys. The Urbana Fire Division confirmed the Red Cross provided assistance to the Doleys family.

A GoFundMe has been set up by David Snyder of Urbana to benefit the family. : https://www.gofundme.com/f/immediate-need-displaced-family-of-5-house-fire?utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unknown&utm_campaign=comms_mn5h+immediate-need-displaced-family-of-5-house-fire .

According to the post on GoFundMe, “The Doleys family suffered a terrible loss of their home in Urbana and belongings on Jan. 4 due to a house fire. Fortunately, they were away from their home that evening, hosting a bible study in Springfield so they are all safe. They have significant immediate needs due to medical equipment/supplies that were lost in the fire for some of the family members as well as obvious items such as clothes, etc.

“Prayerfully consider donating to this need so the Doleys can get back up on their feet very quickly. Daniel Doleys is the pastor of Living Water OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian Church) in Springfield and this effort is coordinated through the deacons of that church. We all praise God that the people and animals are safe and are reminded that the possessions we have here on earth are temporary.

“Philippians 4:6-7 reminds us ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’”

Local agencies’ response to the fire

At approximately 8:26 p.m. Thursday, the Urbana Fire Division (UFD) was called to the Urbana Township residence. The division received mutual aid from Johnson-St. Paris Fire District, Mechanicsburg, Northeast Champaign County Fire District and the West Liberty Fire Department from Logan County. UFD Battalion 1 arrived on the scene first at 8:33 p.m., marked it a working fire, and ordered a defensive attack from Engine 1 with Tanker 1 providing water support.

A defensive fire attack is a firefighting strategy employed when the structure is considered too hazardous for firefighters to enter due to the amount of fire involvement and the structural stability is in question from fire damage, according to information from the UFD. Large hose lines from the outside are deployed to stop the spread and extinguish the fire. When a defensive fire attack is initiated, the building is considered uninhabitable and void of life.

The fire was marked under control at 9:42 p.m. There were no firefighters or civilian injuries reported and the structure suffered considerable smoke and fire damage.

In addition to mutual aid from other agencies, UFD received assistance from Box 13, 911 central county dispatch, Pioneer Electric and the Red Cross. Box 13 is a non-profit organization that supports the first responders of Champaign County.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by UFD and the State of Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office. A damage assessment, which will place a value on the fire loss, is still being evaluated.

While fighting the fire UFD relied on other local agencies to cover emergency calls. After the fire was dispatched an EMS call for service in Urbana was initiated and handled by Macochee Joint Ambulance District. Off-duty personnel were recalled and responded to one additional EMS incident in Urbana during the fire.