STATter 911: Man sleeps through & survives 2 hours in house fire that firefighters were forced to abandon. A must read story from Ross Township, Pennsylvania.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Man sleeps through & survives 2 hours in house fire that firefighters were forced to abandon. A must read story from Ross Township, Pennsylvania.

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Image and story from KDKA-TV:

A man survived a two-story home fire in Ross Township early Sunday morning after being trapped for over two hours in the flames.

According to officials at the scene, the fire started around 2:35 a.m. at 135 Buckhill Road.

Firefighters were informed of two individuals in the home that was fully engulfed. An elderly woman was accounted for, but her adult son was not.

Due to the intense heat, firefighters were ordered to evacuate the house.

At 5:10 a.m., firefighters found the son in the house alive. He was transported to an area hospital and his condition is not known at this time.

Neighbors tell KDKA-TV that the house is over 100 years old and an original structure from a farm that dates back to last century.

Officials are still investigating the cause of the fire at this time.

More from WTAE-TV:

Perrysville Volunteer Fire Chief Eric Wissner said crews got the fire under control in about two hours. Crews then went back inside the house during salvage operations, at which time, they found a man in a first-floor bedroom. Authorities said the resident slept through the fire. He taken to UPMC-Mercy for smoke inhalation.

"He kicked the door in, and when he entered the room, the resident actually slid off the mattress onto the floor, which startled the firefighter (who was) not expecting so see anybody," said John Reubi, Ross Township's fire marshal.

Officials said the house had several additions, which helped shield the man's bedroom during the firefight.

# posted by Dave Statter @ 6:20 PM

Comments:

Find a man in an uninvolved section of a house that the evacuation tone was not sounded for a 1/2 hr into the incident. Hmmm

# posted by

Anonymous : October 11, 2009 11:22 PM

I wonder if the township will give awards for bravery to these firefighters for this dramatic "save"?

# posted by

Anonymous : October 12, 2009 2:39 PM

Hey Dave. Look into this further. Something stinks.

# posted by

Anonymous : October 13, 2009 12:00 AM

Unfortunately I think you're going to read more of these kinds of the stories in the future. Declining levels of experience in our fire officers, lack of knowledge of building construction (probably balloon frame) and what that means to fire travel, and the ever-increasing emphasis on firefighter safety to the point that we go bananas over minor injuries incurred during actual combat operations will combine to insure repeat performances like this sad commentary.

# posted by

Robert : October 13, 2009 11:24 AM