By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – A woman received minor injuries while escaping a house fire in Alabaster’s Siluria community in the early morning hours of Jan. 19, and the home received heavy damage in the blaze, according to the city’s fire chief.

The Alabaster Fire Department responded to a call of a structure fire on Ninth Avenue Southwest, which is off Alabama 119 in Siluria, shortly after 5:30 a.m., said Fire Chief Jim Golden.

“When the first unit arrived, heavy fire was showing from the front of the house,” Golden said.

Golden said the firefighters’ first priority was ensuring all residents were out of the structure before they began combating the blaze. The four occupants in the home escaped to safety before firefighters arrived, but one of the residents received a cut on her arm while escaping.

The woman was transported by ambulance to Shelby Baptist Medical Center, where she was treated for the minor injury.

Golden said firefighters were quickly able to bring the fire under control, but said the home received heavy damage in the blaze. No foul play is suspected in the fire, and firefighters left the scene at about 8 a.m., he said.

Golden urged all Alabaster residents to ensure they have working smoke detectors to warn them in the event of an emergency, especially if residents are asleep.

Any city residents who do not have working smoke detectors in their homes should call the Alabaster Fire Department at 621-8752 to obtain a free smoke detector with free installation.

With frigid temperatures arriving in Alabama, Golden also urged residents to use caution when operating indoor heaters or fireplaces.

“If you use a heater or a fireplace, maintain a minimum 3-foot perimeter around the heat source, and make sure nothing flammable is near it,” Golden said.