Two people were injured and five pets were killed in two house fires located just a few miles apart in western Franklin County in recent days.
More than a dozen fire companies responded in the first hours of Tuesday morning to a blaze in the 1000 block of Path Valley Road, Fort Loudon, according to Lt. Evan Logsdon of MMP&W Volunteer Fire Company in Mercersburg.
Dispatched at 1:57 a.m., MMP&W's engine arrived first as the fire began rapidly rising up the house.
A malfunctioning electrical panel in the basement likely started the fire, which grew to involve the porch before extending into the first floor, Logsdon said.
The fire was a tough battle requiring significant manpower because the house had multiple additions and was built with heavy lumber, Logsdon said.
"It’s very cut up inside, it's not exactly easy to maneuver around."
Two people escaped the house before firefighters arrived, Logsdon said. The residents managed to save their two dogs, but a cat was lost in the blaze.
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Logsdon said he called the fire as under control at 3:52 a.m., about two hours after the first engine arrived.
Hagerstown, Md.'s Engine 4 was transferred to MMP&W while the department's other units were at the scene of the house fire.
Toddler and mother rescued from St. Thomas fire
A 9-mile drive east of Tuesday's fire, two people were rescued from a house fire in St. Thomas on Saturday morning.
A woman and a 2-year-old girl were hanging out a side window of a home in the 6300 block of Lincoln Way West when members of St. Thomas Volunteer Fire and Rescue arrived on the scene shortly before 9 a.m., according to Chief Tommy Bigler.
As a neighbor living just across the street, a St. Thomas firefighter acted quickly to rescue the child.
"He grabbed a ladder out of house that was on fire and got the 2-year-old out with one other guy," Bigler said.
Bigler said he and three other firefighters then used ladders off a firetruck to rescue the woman. It took about five minutes to get the child and her mother out of the house.
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The woman and child were both flown from the scene to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Bigler said. The helicopter landed a few miles east on Lincoln Way West, on the property of the Little Dipper Restaurant.
Four family pets were not so lucky, however. Firefighters pulled the dogs out of the house, but they all died.
Fire extended through both floors and the attic of the Cape Cod-style home, which Bigler said is a total loss.
It took about three hours to get the fire under control. Lincoln Way West (U.S. 30) was closed in the area while the scene was active.
“Everybody worked well together. I’m glad it came out successful,” Bigler said.
The fire department is collecting clothing donations for the woman and child. Items can be dropped off at St. Thomas Volunteer Fire and Rescue, 34 School House Road, St. Thomas.
Amber South can be reached at asouth@publicopinionnews.com.
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