Firefighters tackle more than two-story blaze
Fire crews experienced a bit of trouble battling a fire at a two-story home on Oneida Valley Road — a resident who refused to evacuate.
Dispatchers made the first fire call for multiple departments around 10:53 a.m. Friday to 427 Oneida Valley Road. Oneida Valley Fire Chief Gary Wulff was the first on the scene, having driven from his own home to the call, which was less than a mile from the Oneida Valley fire station.
“There were flames coming out of the top left corner,” Wulff said. “There was smoke coming out of the whole second story.”
There was also a man who refused to leave the home, the chief said. Firefighters removed the man against his will as the home continued to burn.
“He started threatening and assaulting the firefighter,” Wulff said.
The fire chief said at one point the man brandished the knife during the altercation, and the firefighters had to stop battling the blaze to instead calm the man down.
“It took longer to control the man than it did with the fire,” Wulff said. “By the time we got water flowing, flames were coming out of the windows.”
State police were at the scene and appeared to leave without anyone in custody. According to police, there have not been charges filed against the man as of Friday afternoon.
According to Wulff, a woman, who had also been in the home, said there were pets in one of the bedrooms. He said the unknown pets inside were believed dead.
Outside, three dogs were penned inside a fenced in area and appeared fine.As more crews came, more hands, more trucks and more equipment were used to fight the fire. Butler Township Fire District set up its ladder truck.Unionville Fire Chief Nathan Wulff said the ladder was first set up to the roof of the front porch to provide an easy exit to firefighters working inside the second story.“That's a safety factor for the guys working inside,” he said.As the fire and smoke dwindled in the second story, flames sprouted once more from the roof and licked the leaves of an overhanging tree. Firefighters shifted the ladder from the porch to the home, where a handful of firefighters used a saw on the metal roof that was charred black.“There was some stubborn fire up in the peak,” Nathan Wulff said.Both fire chiefs agreed that there was significant damage done throughout the house. The second floor had fire, smoke and water damage; windows were blown out, and the floor had caved in some parts. The first floor also saw smoke and water damage.Nathan Wulff said state police and the Butler County fire marshal were called.He said the fire was well within control by 11:30 a.m. According to Butler County dispatchers, the scene was officially cleared at 2:30 p.m. and Oneida Valley Road, which had been blocked in both directions, opened.Nathan Wulff said staffing is usually difficult for mid-day fires, but crews responded quickly.“Staffing is always tricky,” he said. “We had units on very fast.”Also assisting were fire departments from East Butler, Prospect, Slippery Rock, Chicora, West Sunbury and Lick Hill. Butler Ambulance was at the scene.
