One Killed in Pennsylvania 'Inferno'

Fire crews saw heavy smoke and roaring flames as they arrived.

April 16, 2009

2 min read

MT. PLEASANT TOWNSHIP, Pa. --

A blaze described by a local fire chief as "an inferno" kept a Westmoreland County man trapped inside his home, where he was later found dead.

Dave Hershberger, 63, was killed in the fire, which started at about 12:25 a.m. Thursday at the end of Liberty Street in Mount Pleasant Township.

"He was a hell of a guy. Do anything for you," said Hershberger's brother, Tom.

Fire crews saw heavy smoke and roaring flames as they arrived, Hecla Volunteer Fire Chief Ron Kimmel said.

"It looked like a major, super inferno," Kimmel said. "There was flames everywhere, coming out of all sides of the building."

Kimmel told Channel 4 Action News' Ari Hait that rescuers knew someone was inside the home, but that it was initially too hot for them to get in.

"It's real frustrating," Kimmel said. "The Mount Pleasant chief sort of had to talk me into staying back a bit. I don't like to see nobody trapped in nothing like this."

It took firefighters nearly an hour to gain entry into the home, Hait reported. Once inside, they found Dave Hershberger dead.

"It was a big shock when they said it was my brother," Tom Hershberger said. "I left work and I rushed up here. I don't know what I'm going to do now."

The state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of the fire.