Firefighters rescue resident, pets from Duluth home

Firefighters rescued one person and two pets from an East Duluth home as fire burned in an attached garage.

The fire happened Wednesday at a group home for people with disabilities on Old Howard Mill Road in the Hidden Valley neighborhood. Crews found heavy fire in the garage when they arrived, as well as in a vehicle in the garage and another vehicle outside.

Firefighters rescued a resident who required assistance to get out a lower basement bedroom. Two pets were also found inside the home.

The resident was assessed by an ambulance crew and transported to a hospital for evalation as a precaution.

The Duluth Fire Department says an aggressive fire attack in both the garage and inside the house stopped the flames from breaching the garage wall. The home suffered only smoke damage.

The garage is a total loss. The fire department estimated the total amount of damage to be $70,000 to $75,000 including the structure, vehicles, and garage contents.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.