In 90-degree heat outside, Lexington fire department crews battle 3-level house fire

A home on Nice Drive had flames in its basement, first floor and attic Tuesday afternoon when Lexington Fire Department crews arrived in the 90-degree heat.

All three people in the house escaped thanks to their smoke detectors going off, battalion chief Jason Wells said. No one was injured.

"Even in the middle of the day, these folks were alerted to the fire by working smoke detectors," Wells said. "Unfortunately, we have seen tragic results in other cases where they didn't have working smoke detectors."

Dozens of Lexington firefighters worked in shifts to avoid overheating while they extinguished the flames.

Wells said all of the crew members were doing OK. "We will make sure we do everything we can to make it stay that way," he added.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but Wells said firefighters will take a close look at the basement to determine if it started there.

This story was originally published May 15, 2018 at 2:51 PM with the headline "In 90-degree heat outside, Lexington fire department crews battle 3-level house fire."