CHESTER HILL, Clearfield County -- Troopers have deemed Monday's apartment complex fire in Chester Hill an arson and are continuing to investigate the cause.
Chester Hill Hose Company was dispatched to the blaze that destroyed a building and left 11 people homeless at about midnight Monday, according to Fire Chief Rick Loughhead.
"When we got about three-quarters of the way there, I could see flames 30 feet in the air," he said. "We immediately called in more help."
The building at 1005 Hill St., which housed four apartments, was fully engulfed in flames, Loughhead said. Although flames were racing along the roof and in the attic, he said, all the people home at the time got out OK.
"The smoke detectors were going off," he said. "There was nobody hurt."
The fire began in the storage room of one of the apartments. The wind helped spread the fire quickly, and cold temperatures made the area around the fire "like a skating rink," Loughhead said.
About 70 firefighters from 10 different companies battled the blaze for hours, according to Loughhead.
The building is considered a total loss, although the first floor is still standing, Loughhead said. Firefighters managed to protect adjacent apartment buildings from harm.
