Dog dies, but no people injured in house fire near Connoquenessing Elementary
CONNOQUENESSING — The home at 106 Connoquenessing School Road is a total loss after being ravaged by fire Thursday afternoon, causing the death of a dog.
The fire was first reported just after 4 p.m. Thursday. None of the residents were home when the fire struck.
Chief Lou Zimmerman of the Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company said a floor sagged and partially gave way inside the house, causing an evacuation of fire crews.
“The first floor was weak, so we pulled the firefighters out and did an exterior attack,” Zimmerman said. “There was a section, I believe, that did fall, but not completely.”
At its peak, smoke from the blaze could be seen and smelled from about a mile north.
Neighbors reported there were small explosions coming from the home in the early moments of the fire.
The house was across the street from Connoquenessing Elementary School. By the time the fire started, school was already out and the parking lot was empty, giving emergency services plenty of space for a staging ground.
As the fire progressed, more and more emergency vehicles poured into the school parking lot to assist.
The fire was brought under control after Ladder 3 of the Butler Township Fire District arrived at about 5:30 p.m. About a half-hour later, the fire was mostly out, but the home was burned out by then
Although no people were injured in the blaze, a dog was reported to have died.
The Connoquenessing Volunteer Fire Company, Evans City Volunteer Fire Department, Butler Township Volunteer Fire District, Prospect Borough/Franklin Township Volunteer Fire Department, Harmony Fire District, Penn Township Volunteer Fire Department and Harmony EMS were on hand.
Zimmerman said the home as a “total loss,” and says he believes the fire was caused by a wood-burning stove.
Members of the displaced family declined to comment.
