May 18, 2015 2 min read

A passerby on Franklin Farms Road in North Franklin Township spotted smoke coming from the rear of a home at 348 Franklin Farms Road and called 911 Monday morning before the family inside knew there was a fire.

When North Franklin firefighters arrived shortly after getting the call about 7:30 a.m., flames were showing from under the roof, said fire Chief Dave Bane.

Bob and Holly Leighty and their two cats were able to get out of the house. The Leightys were checked at the scene by Ambulance and Chair emergency medical personnel.

A state police fire marshal determined the fire started in the area of a fan in the attic. Bane said damage to the home is estimated at $20,000, while damage to contents is $10,000. The fire was contained to the attic, but there was smoke and water damage to the rest of the home.

Bane said that while there were smoke detectors in the living area of the split-entry home, there was none in the attic.

“The smoke detectors were not going off when the fire was reported because the smoke had not made it down to where the couple had been,” Bane said. “Most people do not think to put a smoke detector in the attic, but it is a good idea to have a detector on every level of the home.”

Franklin Farms Road was closed for about 90 minutes.

Assisting at the scene were firefighters from Canton, South Franklin and South Strabane townships and Washington. The Red Cross is assisting the family.