The past two mornings have certainly not been quiet for residents in the 5th and 6th Avenue neighborhoods. They've also been dangerous for the Altoona firefighters. In the fire Tuesday morning on 5th Avenue the house finally gave way to the flames and collapsed. But that was just seconds before 3 firefighters escaped from being trapped under the burnt rubble. No one was hurt in this incident. Fire officials believe it started from a malfunctioning furnace. When the home collapsed the fire spread to a home next door, destroying it.
The two fires from this morning and Monday morning are separated only by a yard. Just coincidence? The Altoona Fire Chief, Rennie Santone, tells Channel 6 News, "We hope it was just, it wasn't suspicious or tied to the other fires that we have but we're not going to rule anything out at this point because of being so close."
The house from the fire Tuesday morning has already been completely demolished. The crew that did that actually showed up Tuesday morning to demolish the home that was burned on Monday.
Fire officials are still investigating the fire Monday. They believe it is suspicious.
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