By Tom Hardesty

A house in Hudson is “a total loss” according to the city following a fire April 11 that resulted in minor injuries to a firefighter and one of the home’s residents.

According to the City of Hudson, first responders received a call at approximately 10:47 p.m. April 11 that a house on Sullivan Road was on fire. Crews arrived at the scene to find a “major fire” engulfing the house.

The Hudson Fire Department called departments from Bath, Mantua, Richfield, Streetsboro and the Valley Fire District for backup. Crews from all five departments arrived at the scene with tankers to help Hudson firefighters battle the blaze.

In a Facebook post April 12, Hudson Mayor Jeff Anzevino stated that he is “thankful there were no serious injuries from last night’s house fire. I do know that all Safety Services (Hudson and mutual aid from several surrounding Municipalities) that were called to the scene did everything they could to help.”

The cause of the fire is unknown; the Ohio State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating.

The fire comes at a time when the city is considering how to further enhance public safety, including the possibility of round-the-clock crews at the fire station, something the city currently doesn’t have. 

“A Fire/EMS study and discussion has been underway for the last several months and steps are being taken to plan and move forward,” Anzevino posted. “The main point to address in the study is how can we improve Fire Department response times, and that focus is on nights and weekends.”

Currently, Hudson has “two separate and dedicated crews for EMS that are available to dispatch from the station 24/7,” Anzevino said. “After reviewing the study, listening to residents and having discussions internally, I am in favor of making changes to have a 4-person Fire Engine crew at the station on nights and weekends to complement the full-time crew that is already at the station during the day.”