A fire forced a mother and her two children from their rental home on Sampson Street Monday evening, according to a fire department captain.
The woman arrived home to find everything black and smoke that burned her eyes in her residence in the 2500 block of Sampson Street, according to records. She called for firefighters at 6:49 p.m. Monday.
When firefighters arrived at the home they could smell smoke but did not see flames, Wisconsin Rapids Fire Capt. Chuck Peeters said. They found the fire smoldering in the living room, Peeters said. The fire did significant damage to the home, but Peeters did not have a damage estimate available Tuesday. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Peeters said. The Red Cross is helping the woman and her two children.