Herman home heavily damaged in fire
SUMMIT TWP — A fire partially extinguished itself due to a lack of oxygen, but still heavily damaged a home when no one was home Saturday night, Dec. 23.
The fire at 117 Schnur Road was reported at 7:49 p.m. and flames in the first floor living room were visible through the windows when firefighters arrived, said Rob Shuler, chief of the Herman Volunteer Fire Company.
Firefighters quickly extinguished those flames and discovered the second floor, including the bedrooms, were burned, but the fire was mostly out, he said.
“The second floor put itself out by the time we got inside,” Shuler said. “It started burning, it got oxygen deprived and put itself out. It’s one of those fires you don’t see often.”
The house contained a lot of clutter that made it a challenge for firefighters to move around inside, he said.
He said a neighbor smelled smoke and called 911 after he went to the house to feed the homeowner’s dog, which was being kept in the detached garage while the homeowner is away.
The house was severely damaged and will probably have to be demolished, he said.
No one was injured, and the state police fire marshal was called to determine the cause, Shuler said.
The Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Company, Butler Bureau of Fire and Butler Ambulance Service also responded to the fire.
