April 20--A house used for storage burned down in Manor Saturday after a brush fire got out of control and also destroyed a pavilion, authorities said.
The woman who owns the property on Pond Lane told 911 she started to burn brush and at about 1:30, the fire spread, said Manor fire Chief Jeff Shoaf.
The fire jumped across the road, but was contained before reaching nearby houses in the Woods of Brandywine development, Shoaf said.
Firefighters had some difficulty reaching the flames because of the configuration of the housing in the area, he said.
The house was remodeled with three roofs, which also added a challenge, Shoaf said.
"It was an addition on an addition on an addition and hard to get to the fire," he said.
No one was injured, and no one was inside the house, since it was used for storage and the woman lives next door, Shoaf said.
It took about two-and-a-half hours for crews to fight the fire and another two-and-a-half hours to bulldoze the pavilion and spray foam inside the home to make sure the fire could not rekindle, he said.
A permit is required to burn in the borough, depending on the zoning designation, but Shoaf said he wasn't sure what the property was zoned. A fire marshal is investigating, he said.
Departments from Westmoreland City, Harrison City, Penn borough, Claridge, North Irwin and Irwin responded, while tankers from Larimer, Rillton and White Valley were called, but not needed, Shoaf said.
While he could not estimate the amount of the damage, Shoaf said the house was a "total loss."
Copyright 2014 - Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
