Resident safely escapes fire that severely damaged Gladstone house

A fire early Thursday severely damaged the interior of a Gladstone house.

The fire was reported about 4:20 a.m. in the 2800 block of Northeast 57th Terrace.

The first firefighters to arrive reported seeing heavy fire and smoke coming from the rear of the house. The house’s only resident had safely made it out of the house before firefighters arrived.

Because the fire was so intense, fire crews initially fought the fire defensively. Once additional fire crews arrived, they made an interior attack on the blaze.

The house sustained severe fire and heat damage inside. Firefighters from the Riverside Fire Department help battle the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

This story was originally published December 15, 2016 at 8:13 AM with the headline "Resident safely escapes fire that severely damaged Gladstone house."