Sharon firefighters quickly dispatch blazes Monday, Tuesday

March 21--SHARON -- A Tuesday afternoon fire at a downtown Sharon shop might not have been serious, but it scared the staff at Beth's Second Hand Store.

"Everyone is OK," said Beth Howard, business owner. "The store just filled with smoke."

It took Sharon firefighters about a minute to get to the store, which is located at 160 W. State St., just after 11 a.m., Sharon fire Chief Bob Fiscus said.

The first floor business was filled with smoke, and it was confirmed with thermal imaging that the second-floor furnace was to blame for the fire, Fiscus said.

Howard and her helpers were soon back to work, showcasing what her employees call "upscale thrift store" merchandise.

"I've been here for six years," Howard said. "I love this community. I think this store does a lot for the community, but the community does a lot for us."

But that was not the only blaze that Sharon firefighters dealt with over the last 24 hours.

The previous evening, Sharon, Farrell, Hermitage and Brookfield firefighters responded to a fire at 6:40 p.m. at 525 Lorain St. on the city's West Hill, Fiscus said.

When firefighters arrived, the basement was on fire, and the blaze was moving through the ceiling to the first floor.

"The fire was out in five minutes," Fiscus said, adding that firefighters were on the scene for about an hour.

Fiscus said the Lorain Street house is occupied, but he said he did not know the names of the owners, if they had insurance or if they were displaced by possible smoke and fire damage.

The fire chief also said investigators have still not determined a cause of the Friday morning fire at another house in Sharon.

No one was home at 7:11 a.m. when the call came in for 360 Sherman Ave.

Firefighters contended with heavy fire that seemed to have started in the kitchen and moved to the first and second floors, into the attic, Fiscus said.

"There is nothing that appears suspicious at all," he said.

Fiscus said the house is owned by Edward Fisher, who has insurance. The house is uninhabitable, and Fisher and his wife said they were going to stay with relatives.

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