None injured in Franklin Township duplex fire
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP — No occupants were injured when a duplex caught fire on Whitetail Lane in Franklin Township on Sunday afternoon, Aug. 11.
The fire was first reported at noon Sunday, when smoke was seen coming out of the duplex’s roof.
“Right now, it looks like an electrical issue, and the fire marshal is notified,” said Nathan Blackwood, fire chief for the Prospect Borough/Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Most of the damage to the duplex occurred in the kitchen area, although there was some visible damage to the exterior. According to Blackwood, the half of the duplex where the fire started presently is not livable due to kitchen damage, while the other half is still livable.
All occupants were out of the duplex at the time the fire started but returned home as firefighters worked the scene.
“The homeowners did arrive. They’re here now,” Blackwood said. “They’re just trying to make some arrangements.”
The duplex is on a gravel road a distance off Old Route 422. Still, firefighters had the blaze under control by a quarter to one.
“It was an offensive attack with a hand line,” Blackwood said. “We knocked the fire down in the kitchen and then we checked for extension through the attic to verify that the fire is out. We actually laid in from the hydrant on Old Route 422 the whole way down. Water was not a problem.”
In addition to Prospect/Franklin Township, volunteer fire departments from Unionville, Portersville and Connoquenessing, as well as the Butler Ambulance Service, responded to the scene.
