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Ceiling fan starts house fire

No one was hurt but a home sustained more than $100,000 in damage after a ceiling fan caught fire Saturday morning in Jefferson Township, authorities said.

Homeowner Sharon Moser and her adult son were at their double-wide mobile home in the 300 block of Driftwood Drive shortly after 11 a.m. when the fire broke out in the bathroom.

Saxonburg firefighters were first on scene and noticed smoke coming from the roof line. No flames were visible after a crew went inside.

"But I could hear (the fire) up in the roof area, crackling," said Chief Chris Ballina of the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Department.

Another crew quickly got on top of the home and opened up the roof.

"That's when we saw flames," Ballina said.

The fire was under control in about 20 minutes. Nearly two dozen firefighters from five departments helped battle the blaze.

"We jumped on it pretty hard," Ballina said, "and there wasn't a lot of damage in the house."

Much of the roof was burned, however, and will need replaced. Most of the contents are salvageable.

Fire officials said the home was insured.

Firefighters managed to rescue one cat from the house. A second cat got frightened and hid. Its fate was unknown.

Ballina said burned wiring and distinctive char marks around the bathroom ceiling fan was evidence of the origin and apparent cause of the fire.

Authorities said Moser and her son are temporarily living with her mother.

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