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Mayday quickly cleared during Neb. abandoned house fire

The Omaha Fire Department said authorities have repeatedly removed unauthorized people from the home

By Dan Crisler
Omaha World-Herald

OMAHA, Neb. — Omaha firefighters declared a brief “mayday” after initially being unable to locate an exit point on the second story of a vacant house in midtown Omaha Sunday night.

Shortly before 11:30 p.m., firefighters responded to the fire at 537 Park Ave. As firefighters worked to extinguish the fire, a crew on the second floor was temporarily unable to locate an exit, leading to the mayday being declared as a precautionary measure, according to an Omaha Fire Department press release.

| MORE: Developing a culture of mayday training within your department

The call was quickly canceled after the crew found an exit. No firefighters were injured as the fire was brought under control in just under an hour.

The Fire Department said authorities have repeatedly had to remove unauthorized people from the house.

The house, which was valued at $161,700, sustained an estimated $80,000 in damage, the department said.

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