A Lawrence Douglas County Fire & Medical firefighter is led away from the scene of a house fire in west Lawrence on Tuesday, July 5, 2011. Two people were taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital with injuries, including one firefighter who suffered from heat exposure. There was no word immediately available as to the cause of the fire or the value of the damage.

A Lawrence Douglas County Fire & Medical firefighter looks through a damaged window inside a single family home that caught fire about 3:30 p.m. on July 5, 2011. One of the homeowners suffered minor injuries and was taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital for observation.

A fire in a west Lawrence home caused “significant” damage and sent two people to Lawrence Memorial Hospital with minor injuries, Lawrence Fire Chief Mark Bradford said.

The fire at the home of Ted and Ola Faucher was reported about 3:25 p.m. A second alarm, or a request for additional manpower and units, was called. Firefighters had the blaze under control within 15 minutes, Bradford said.

Ted Faucher was treated at the scene for his injuries and then taken to LMH for observation, where he was doing fine, reported Jeremy DeBoard, his son-in-law.

“The fact that he got (himself) out of the house is a great thing,” DeBoard said.

Ola Faucher, the longtime director of human resources at Kansas University who ran for Lawrence school board this past spring, was not home at the time.

A Lawrence firefighter also was being treated for heat exposure, Bradford said. The firefighter was one of the first on the scene battling the blaze.

Outside the home, the family’s parakeet was dead in its cage, sitting beside the house and outside the fire line set up by Lawrence-Douglas County Fire & Medical. It was unclear whether the cage had been taken out by Ted Faucher or firefighters.

Lawrence Fire Marshal James King said that when firefighters arrived, heavy smoke and flames were visible from the upper level and attic of the home, in the 1100 block of Cynthia Street.

Douglas County Fire Medical Division Chief Doug Green said Tuesday evening investigators were still working to determine the cause and estimated amount of damage. Green said those details would likely not be available until Wednesday. Bradford described damage to upper-level bedrooms as “significant.”

Check back to LJWorld.com for updates.