Fire DME

A firefighter sustained an arm injury after slipping on ice as crews battled a residential structure fire in frigid temperatures early Tuesday morning, Jan. 20, in Adams Township.

The two-story house fire in the 1200 block of Mars-Evans City Road began in the area of a chicken coup adjacent to the home, according to Curt Huffman, chief of the Callery Volunteer Fire Company. The two people and two dogs inside safely made it out. The fire was reported at 3:31 a.m., according Butler County Emergency Services dispatch.

“The cold (temperatures) were the biggest factor,” Huffman said.

He said the temperatures below 5 degrees Fahrenheit caused the water runoff on the road to freeze, which is how the firefighter slipped. The firefighter was evaluated at a local hospital.

The cause of the fire is being investigated by the state police fire marshal. Huffman said the home had substantial fire and water damage, but he was unsure if insurance would rule the house a loss.

Mars-Evans City Road was temporarily closed from Myoma Road to Union Church Road, according to a Facebook post from the Adams Area Fire District.

Emergency crews were on the scene until 6:30 a.m., Huffman said. Responding fire companies included the SAFER Group, which consists of Calley Volunteer Fire Company, Adams Area Fire District, Harmony Fire District, Evans City Area Volunteer Fire Volunteer Fire Department and Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Company.

The Penn Township Volunteer Fire Department, Middlesex Township Volunteer Fire Company, Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company and Allegheny County’s Marshall Township Volunteer Fire Department and Wexford Volunteer Fire Company were dispatched on the second alarm.