Pets perish in Franklin Township house fire
FRANKLIN TWP — Turtles and goldfish died in a house fire Wednesday morning, July 12 on West Old Route 422, where an estimated 30 firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.
A family of five was not home when the fire was reported, but the pets were unable to be saved, according to Ken Wilson, assistant chief of the Prospect-Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department.
He estimated the fire damaged 75% of the Franklin Township home.
Crews were dispatched around 9:21 a.m. to the 700 block of West Old Route 422 for several calls reporting a house fire. The fire was elevated to a two-alarm call shortly afterward.
Wilson said the fire began on the front porch of the residence and spread to the attic.
As firefighters worked, heavy smoke billowed from the roof and covered the nearby road.
“We cut the roof on the far (right) end of it, just to get access to the attic,” he said.
Crews had the blaze under control in 20 minutes, Wilson said.
The home’s front porch was blackened from the flames exposing the inside of the residence.
Once the fire was out, the homeowners were escorted through the structure by a firefighter to look at the damage.
According to Wilson, the response from area fire departments was overwhelming.
“For a daylight response, this was phenomenal,” he said, estimating that 25 to 30 firefighters were there to assist.
Crews were later called back to the scene for reports of the fire rekindling on the roof. Fire police on scene reported to dispatch that one spot on the roof was smoking, possibly from smoldering embers.
Crew members from Butler Township Volunteer Fire District, Unionville and Slippery Rock volunteer fire companies, Portersville-Muddy Creek Township, East Butler, West Sunbury, Connoquenessing and Oneida Valley volunteer fire departments and Butler Ambulance Service were among those that responded to the scene.
