Pennsylvania House Fire Sets Off Ammunition

May 17, 2004
Centre Region fire marshals are searching for the cause of a Sunday morning blaze that caused extensive damage to a Houserville home.
Centre Region fire marshals are searching for the cause of a Sunday morning blaze that caused extensive damage to a Houserville home.

The fire, which was reported at about 2:20 a.m., set off numerous rounds of ammunition that was stored in the two-story home, according to State College police. No one was home at the time of the fire, and no was injured.

The house, at 162 Fairlawn Ave., is owned by John Imbt, according to county records. Imbt also owns a 52-acre parcel in Patton Township on which Geisinger wants to build a clinic, among other holdings.

"There was a lot of firearms and ammunition in the house, and quite a few rounds exploded," said Sgt. John Wilson, of the State College Police Department.

Wilson said none of the exploding ammunition affected neighboring homes or Houserville Elementary School, located directly behind the structure.

"It's not like the pressure or velocity coming out of a gun," Wilson said.

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