By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• Omaha firefighters declared a short mayday Sunday night while working a fire in a vacant house after a crew temporarily could not find an exit.
• The fire was reported just before 11:30 p.m. at a two-story abandoned home in midtown Omaha.
• The mayday was canceled quickly after the crew located a means of egress and no injuries were reported.
• Authorities said firefighters have repeatedly removed unauthorized people from the property.
OMAHA, NE — Omaha firefighters declared then quickly cleared a mayday Sunday night while extinguishing a fire in an abandoned house after a crew temporarily could not locate an exit, officials said.
Responders were dispatched around 11:30 p.m. to a two-story vacant home at 537 Park Ave. in midtown Omaha, where fire crews encountered heavy fire conditions, according to a press release from the Omaha Fire Department.
During interior operations, a crew on the second floor reported difficulty finding a way out, prompting command to declare a mayday as a precautionary safety measure.
The mayday was canceled within minutes after the crew located an exit, and no firefighters were injured during the incident, which was brought under control in under an hour.
Officials noted that authorities have frequently had to remove unauthorized individuals from the vacant property in past responses.