Fire damages Butler Twp. home
BUTLER TWP — A grandmother and her grandson's girlfriend saw flames and fled from a house before the fire spread to the rest of the home Thursday evening.
The fire at 110 Alhambra Drive started at 5 p.m., resulting in an estimated $150,000 in damages, said Chris Switala, chief of the Butler Township Volunteer Fire District.
No one was injured.
Fire caused damage to the first and second floors, and there was smoke damage throughout the home, Switala said.
Mary Anne Matson, who has lived in the home since 1959, said she and her grandson's girlfriend, Jaclyn Rowe, were in the living room in the front of the house when Rowe saw flames in a rear spare bedroom.
“She said there's a fire in the backroom. The flames were that high,” Matson said, holding her hand about three feet in the air.
Soon smoke began to spread, but she managed to call 911, grab a few belongings and flee with Rowe before the fire spread.
“We all got out. I'm a nervous wreck now. Great way to start the new year,” Matson said.
She said she has insurance on the house.
“Heavy fire on the first and second floors, heavy smoke damage throughout,” Switala said. “The fire was more toward the rear of the house.”
The fire started on the first floor in a back room near a TV and stereo, he said.
Firefighters from the township and the Butler Bureau of Fire arrived within five minutes of the alarm, and the occupants evacuated before firefighters arrived, Switala said. Butler Ambulance Service also responded.
Matson is temporarily staying with family members and the American Red Cross is providing her with clothing.
