Accidental house fire in Westmoreland County leaves family homeless

LOWER BURRELL, Pa. (KDKA) -- A fire started by an accident destroyed a home in Lower Burrell on Wednesday afternoon.

The fire started at a home along the 200 block of Michigan Avenue just before noon.

The flames were so hot that they melted the siding on the neighbor's house some 30 yards away. The smoke was so large that, at one point, it could be seen miles away across the Allegany River on Route 28.

KDKA-TV spoke with Deputy Fire Chief Scott Gloer of Lower Burrell No. 3, who said they got the fire under control about 40 minutes after they arrived, but he said this was a challenging fight.

"We had some water supply issues," said Chief Gloer. "People ran over some of our supply hoses as they were getting out of the plan, but once we got some good water supply going, we got the bulk of it knocked down, and then overall, took the rest of the time. If I could say anything, please don't run over hoses."

The chief said he was grateful for the quick response from the multiple fire companies throughout the area that rushed to the scene.

Not only were multiple fire companies on location fighting this blaze, but KDKA-TV cameras witnessed many neighbors coming out to help the family whose house was destroyed.

While the nerves of many were frayed and hearts appeared to be broken for some, no one was hurt in this fire.

"It's accidental causes," said Chief Gloer. "We talked to the state fire marshal. That's all we are going to say on that. It started in the kitchen area."