PAXTONVILLE, PA—A homeowner using gasoline to kill bees in the ground caught his house on fire Monday night.
Middleburg Fire Chief Butch Hackenberg said Leonard Goss poured the gasoline into the in-ground hive and flames shot up and caught the corner of the two-story wood-frame home on fire.
Firefighters from seven companies were called to the fire at 1353 Paxton St., in Paxtonville, Franklin Township, at 8:06 p.m. Goss and his wife, Shirley, escaped unharmed, but they had to find another place to stay.
"It got under the siding and starting burning up the corner of the house," Hackenberg said. "There's some smoke and water damage inside, fire damage on the corner of the house and part of the roof."
Firefighters cut open part of the roof to check for fire in the attic, the chief said.
In addition to Middleburg, fire units also came from Beavertown, Kreamer, Penns Creek, Beaver Springs, Mifflinburg and Mount Pleasant Mills.
Hackenberg said the Red Cross would find accommodations for Goss and his wife.
"The Red Cross has been notified," he said. "They are on their way."
He said Goss has insurance on the property
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