HIGHLAND HEIGHTS - A Highland Heights family is starting their new year out homeless after a four-alarm fire.
Authorities were called to the fire in the 200 block of Ridge Hill Drive around 3:30 a.m. on Monday. They said the fire was so big, it could be seen from a half a mile away.
Campbell County Fire Chief Jerry Sandfoss said extra crews had to be called in because of the icy cold conditions.
"Something around the air conditioning or furnace thing on the outside, and I guess it went up the top [of the house] and across the back, is what I can kind of tell. And then within a couple of minutes, the whole living room was orange, and then it was all full of smoke," said Carla Ostendorf, who lived in the rented home.
Ostendorf told Local 12's Perry Schaible what was most upsetting was having her children's Christmas gifts, photos, and childhood art projects totally destroyed. She said she was just grateful everyone was safe.
Ostendorf said her 9-year-old son, Liam, and her other child woke her up when they discovered the flames. She sent Liam out to get a neighbor's help.
"I went to about four houses, and only one person answered and then our neighbor let us in and warmed us up," said Liam Ostendorf.
Another person lived in the basement of the home, but they were not home at the time of the fire.
No one was injured.
The family is being assisted by the Red Cross.
