Ely house fire contained to attic, two people evaluated, four cats rescued
Four cats were rescued as Ely and Babbitt firefighters kept a house fire to the attic of a home in the 200 block of East Harvey Street. Two occupants were checked and later displaced.
Firefighters from Ely and Babbitt stopped a Thursday evening house fire from spreading beyond the attic of a home in the 200 block of East Harvey Street, a fast response that kept the damage from turning into a total loss. The fire was reported just after 6:30 p.m. on April 9, and crews were able to hold it to the attic area while Ely Ambulance evaluated two people at the scene and the Ely Police Department assisted.
Four cats were rescued from the house, adding another layer to a scene that could have turned far worse if flames had reached the roof framing or moved into the main living spaces. In a home fire, the attic can become a dangerous choke point because heat and smoke rise quickly, and once fire gets a foothold above the living area, it can spread fast through insulation, wiring and roof structure.
The later-identification of the occupants as Maureen and Angel Stoll gave the fire a more personal dimension. The Ely Echo reported that the mother and daughter were displaced, underscoring the way even a contained fire can still upend a household. A blaze does not have to destroy every room to force families out, interrupt routines and send them into a long cleanup and repair process.
The East Harvey Street fire also comes against the backdrop of recent residential fires in Ely. A November 2025 fire in the 1000 block of East Harvey Street caused extensive damage to another home, and an April 2025 house fire in Ely killed a woman and two dogs. Those incidents show how quickly a local fire can become a major loss, even in a small city where neighbors know the street and the address.
The rescue of the four cats is also a reminder that pet safety has to be part of any fire plan. Pets can hide when smoke alarms sound, and that can slow evacuation unless residents have already decided how animals will be gathered, carried and accounted for. In a fire emergency, the safest outcome is usually decided before the first engine arrives: by knowing who lives in the home, where pets are likely to run and how quickly everyone can get out once smoke appears.
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