Green Bay house fire injures 4, causes $50k in damage

An early morning house fire near downtown Green Bay — apparently caused by someone smoking in bed — sent four people to the hospital and caused $50,000 in damage, the Green Bay Fire Department said Tuesday.

The fire, reported just after 6 a.m. at 410 15th Ave., was caused by someone smoking in bed and firefighters couldn't find any working smoke detectors in the home, Green Bay Fire Department Lt. Nick Craig said in a statement.

"Of the last three fire deaths that we have experienced in Green Bay, two were caused by smoking materials," Craig said.

The incident is under investigation by the Fire Marshal's Office.

Craig also said a person who lived in the home went back inside, when the fire was burning, after originally making it out safely.

A person who lived at the home tried to put out the fire, but firefighters had to treat that individual with an antidote to hydrogen cyanide, which is present in home fires. The Green Bay Metro Fire Department ambulances have carried Cyanokits since last year, but Craig said Tuesday was the first time the medication was used.

Fire crews encountered heavy smoke and fire showing from the front of the home, Battalion Chief Drew Spielman said. Crews had the fire knocked down quickly, but the house has extensive damage and is uninhabitable. The Red Cross is assisting the family of four.

Four people taken to the hospital suffered "fire related injuries" in the incident, but Spielman said "none of the injuries is believed to be life threatening."

The property owned by Robert G. Kellner and is valued at $94,700, according to online Brown County land records.

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