Caller reported leaves on fire under porch
MARS — A crew was called in Tuesday evening to demolish an Anderson Avenue home destroyed by fire earlier in the day.
“We determined the house is unsafe to be standing,” said Adams Area Fire District Chief Tim Llewellyn.
Firefighters responded about 10:10 a.m. after a caller reported leaves on fire under the porch of a home at 929 Anderson Ave. The fire spread to the home and resulted in a total loss of the structure, according to Llewellyn.
About 30 firefighters from Adams, Callery, Evans City, Harmony, Marshall and Wexford volunteer fire departments responded to the blaze. Crews cleared the scene about 3:15 p.m.
Three residents were home at the time of the fire but were able to escape the blaze before emergency responders arrived. No one was injured in the fire, but Llewellyn said one firefighter was treated and released at UPMC Passavant for heat exhaustion. It took several hours to contain the fire, partly because firefighters were unable to enter the structure safely to expose and extinguish hot spots.
Llewellyn said there also was initial difficulty getting the fire under control because crews were low on manpower, which is common for volunteer departments during the middle of the day. He said the fast response of available volunteers and support from multiple departments made it possible to prevent further damage in the area.
Llewellyn said the blaze was, “too much work all at once,” because the fire, “extended beyond the capabilities of any fire truck.” He added that the department was lucky to have volunteers who stay at the station during the day for cases like this.
“We were fortunate that three people were here and able to get the truck running in what I believe was under a minute,” Llewellyn said.
Llewellyn said the house was set to be knocked down Tuesday evening because there were concerns about the fire rekindling. He pointed out that having part of the structure still standing would make it more difficult to extinguish a second time.The homeowners declined to discuss their loss Tuesday. Llewellyn said the owners had friends and family in the area helping them as well as receiving aid from the American Red Cross.“Our disaster action team volunteers respond to the scene and we assist people with a place to stay, food and clothing and, if they need it, medication,” said Mary Rogers, director of the agency's West Central Pennsylvania Chapter. “Every case is different depending on what the needs of the people are.”Rogers said the local chapter of the Red Cross covers six counties including Butler County. The agency's primary goal is to get residents secure and help them through the next two or three days.Families are then assigned a caseworker who checks in with them throughout their recovery process and aids in any way possible, according to Rogers. She added that disaster services are free, but the organization depends on contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations.“We have a good group of volunteers in Butler County,” Rogers said, “but we could always use more volunteers.”
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