No injuries, Only Peanut Butter

by William Hermann, The Arizona Republic

A house fire at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 900 block of South Ash Avenue in central Tempe resulted in damage to a rental unit or garage, but nobody was injured, officials said.

Flames leapt into the air shortly after black smoke plumed upward from the unit and neighbors rushed from their houses to see what was going on. A fire truck arrived moments after the first smoke was seen and firefighters were putting water on the blaze within seconds of arriving.

As firefighters dragged hoses and police kept the crowd back, Chana Tiechtel and her son Tzvi, 5, walked out of the Chabad Jewish Student Center, a few doors from the fire.

Chana was carrying a tray of Peanut Butter Rice Krispies treats and she walked from firefighters to police officers to neighbors offering treats and reassuring words.

“As it happens, I was reading a book called ‘The Bravest Firefighter’ to my little boy when we smelled the smoke then heard the sirens,” Chana said.