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WHEELING - According to Wheeling Fire Department Chief Jim Blazier, WFD Assistant Chief Eric Cianelli's home is a "total loss" after a house fire on Saturday, and the fire department and other groups are coming together to help him and his family through this trying time.
Cianelli's wife, Christy Cianelli, was also burned during the fire. Christy Cianelli is currently being treated for her burns in Pittsburgh, with Blazier noting that her prognosis is "good."
"She [Christy Cianelli] discovered the fire and was attempting to extinguish it," Blazier said. "She inadvertently got some burns during that process."
Wheeling City Council member Dave Palmer mentioned the fire during Monday night's meeting when he asked Blazier for an update on the situation. Blazier said Christy Cianelli was "doing better," and hospital employees expect her to return home by the end of the week.
Blazier said she had issues with swelling that were "typical" for the type of burn, with the swelling expected to go down within 40 hours of the injury occurring.
While the exact cause of the fire has not been "narrowed down yet," Blazier noted that the cause of the blaze was "accidental in nature."
According to Blazier, the fire was called in on Saturday afternoon. Cianelli's house is within the Stone Church Volunteer Fire Department's jurisdiction, and the Valley Grove Fire Department, Bethlehem Volunteer Fire Department and the WFD also responded to the call to assist the Stone Church VFD.
Crews were at the fire for "several hours," according to Blazier, working to extinguish the blaze fully and "salvage some things" from the residence that the Cianelli family needed. Though the house is still standing, said Blazier, it is a "total loss" due to the damages incurred from the fire.
Though Cianelli has more than 20 years of experience with the WFD, Blazier noted being on the other side of a fire is a much different experience than extinguishing one.
"All his life, he's been on our side of the fence, as far as going out and helping people having these situations," Blazier said. "Unfortunately, now that he's on the other side of the fence, I think he's kind of overwhelmed with the fact that his wife is injured, they've lost most of their belongings and they don't have a place to live. Everybody's trying to do what they can to support him and get him moving in the right direction."
Cianelli, his wife and two daughters who lived at the house are currently living at the rental property of a retired WFD member. Blazier said the family will live at the property "temporarily" while Cianelli gets "everything squared away" with his insurance and determines "where he is going to move from here."
Blazier noted that the WFD retiree stepping up to help Cianelli was not unusual, as the WFD is "one big family."
"When something happens, everybody pitches together and does what they can," Blazier said. "Even one of our retirees had an apartment open and offered it all without any questions once he heard of the problem."
Apart from the WFD's family responding to help the Cianelli family, Blazier added that the response from other local first responders has been "awesome."
"We've had outreaches from many of the local agencies around us that operate either EMS or fire departments," Blazer described. "Everybody around us has been asking, 'What can we do to help?' These agencies are sending this and that, so it's been an outpouring of generosity to help out one of our own."
In addition to current fundraising efforts, Blazier said the WFD has a "couple of different ideas" for a future fundraising event for the Cianelli family. He noted that the Wheeling Police Department has expressed interest in a charity basketball game, while residents who work with Cianelli in the Brooke County area are looking to organize a charity softball tournament.
"There are many things in the works," Blazier noted. "We don't have any specific information on dates, time or anything else, but if anyone has any questions, they can call our offices Monday through Friday at 304-234-3776."
Blazier said residents can contact the WFD at its main office at the same number, 304-234-3776, to donate to the Cianelli family.
"They can call that number, and we can guide folks on how to get what they want to donate to us," Blazier noted. "Then we can make sure that the Cianellis get it."