Firefighters extinguish basement fire in 1000 block of New Jersey Street

Firefighters extinguished a fire in the basement of a home in the 1000 block of New Jersey Street on Tuesday afternoon.

The fire was reported just after 3 p.m. and scanner reports indicated the home was evacuated. Two residents stood watch as firefighters investigated the cause.

Smoke was seen escaping the basement windows and flooding the main level of the home for about 20 minutes. No flames were visible from outside the house.

The fire was reported under control by about 3:30 p.m. It was not immediately clear how widespread the fire was or the extent of the damage.

Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Division Chief Eve Tolefree said Tuesday that the extent of the damages and cause of the fire would not be available until Wednesday at the earliest.

Firefighters rescued a pet snake from the home. It appeared to have survived the incident.