Fire destroys N. Strabane home
Firefighters hose down the charred remains of a home that caught fire Tuesday at 684 Christy Road in North Strabane Township.
Firefighters work extinguish a fire at a home at 684 Christy Road in North Strabane Township.
A firefighter directs his hose toward the flames at a fire Tuesday morning at a home in North Strabane Township.
The charred exterior of the home at 684 Christy Road in North Strabane Township was still smoldering several hours after a fire was brought under control.
A 65-year-old North Strabane Township woman may have suffered smoke inhalation when her 200-year-old home at 684 Christy Road caught fire Tuesday morning.
Nina Almo was taken to Canonsburg Hospital as a precaution, said North Strabane fire Chief Mark Grimm. She lived alone in the home with a dog that is believed to have escaped from the residence.
Grimm said the first call came in at 9:07 a.m. from a passerby. Almo told firefighters she thought she heard something sparking in the house. She went outside without her cellphone and was unable to call for help. Grimm said she was standing on the road when they arrived at the scene at 9:16 a.m.
“At this point, we have no idea how long the fire was burning before we were called,” Grimm said, adding the fire appears to have started in the kitchen of the two-story frame home.
The fire chief and state police fire marshal agreed the fire was accidental, likely electrical in origin.
Grimm said they want to talk with Almo so they could get a better idea of when the fire may have started. He added the home is a total loss.
During the fire fight, the second floor of the home collapsed. Grimm said all of the firefighters were able to safely get out of the home.
“We then went into a defensive mode,” he said.
The balloon-style construction with the open walls enabled the fire to spread quickly, Grimm added.
Crews had hose lines stretched across Norfolk Southern railroad tracks just off Route 519 near the home. Grimm said they were in contact with the railroad through the 911 dispatch center. He said one train was held up until the fire was declared under control at 11 a.m. The firefighters cleared the scene at 1:30 p.m.
Firefighters from South Strabane and Peters townships assisted at the scene along with the rapid intervention team from the Washington fire department. Canonsburg firefighters were on standby at North Strabane’s station and handled four calls, Grimm said.