Fire guts Morris Township home
Smoke billowing from a home in Prosperity could be seen from miles away. A section of Pie Ridge Road was closed as firefighters battled the blaze.
Firefighters responded to a house fire Wednesday on Pie Ridge Road in Morris Township.
Six fire departments battled flames at this house on Pie Ridge Road in Morris Township.
A home at 634 Pie Ridge Road in Prosperity caught fire Wednesday evening. No one was home at the time. Firefighters were still attempting to knock down the flames in a garage and second-story room after 7:45 p.m. For video, please visit www.observer-reporter.com. video
Firefighters were still attempting to knock down the flames in a garage and second-story room after 7:45 p.m.
PROSPERITY – It took six fire departments to knock down flames that engulfed a house in Morris Township Wednesday evening.
Firefighters battled the blaze at 634 Pie Ridge Rd. for more than hour, taking turns to give volunteers a respite from smoke and 90-degree heat. No one was inside the house, which was gutted by the fire that started about 6:45 p.m.
Phil Conklin, a neighbor, said homeowner Kenny Grove is in Italy on a business trip. He said Grove’s wife came to the scene of the fire, but she was not inside the structure.
Chief Dave Dietrich, of the Morris Township Volunteer Fire Department, said it appeared the fire started in a garage connected to the two-story home. He said the cause was undetermined, and a fire marshal was called in to investigate.
Dietrich said the fire quickly spread from the garage to the first floor of the home, and scorching heat forced firefighters to retreat and go “on the defensive” instead.
“After about five minutes, we were pushed out the front door,” he said.
They were still battling small flames in the garage and on the second floor past 8 p.m. A section of Pie Ridge Road was blocked off during that time.
Fire departments from Morris Township, Lone Pine, South Strabane, South Franklin, North Franklin and Amwell responded to the fire. Hazmat and ambulance and chair workers assisted firefighters.