Lucky Pennsylvania Man Survives Sixth Fire

Nov. 30--It was just days before Thanksgiving that three Hanover families lost their homes to fire.

But Ashley Early, whose family home was badly damaged, said she was just grateful that her family and neighbors survived Monday's overnight blaze on High Street in Hanover.

Ashley, 22, and her 21-year-old fiance Delante Zijerdi were sleeping in the Early home at 469 1/2 High St. and were awakened by Ashley's dad Larry busting through her bedroom door to warn about the fire.

"You never expect something like this to happen to you and when it does, it hits you like a brick," Ashley said.

Zijerdi said that, growing up in Washington, D.C., he had lived through fires five times before, so he knew that the first thing he should do was knock on neighbors' doors to make sure they were safe.

All five of the family's cats were rescued as well as their bird, Pete. Ashley's sister, Amanda Early, said she was able to save her cat, Thumper, after she flipped over her bed and found the cat hiding there. Amanda, 19, had come home from a long day of work at Tim Bar Packaging and Display in Westminster, Md., to see her house engulfed in flames.

"I never saw a fire spread like that did," Amanda Early said of the fire that moved through the three units in 30 minutes.

All told, there were 13 people -- including the Early family -- displaced by the fire that appeared to have started in the unit at 471 High St., spread to the exterior of the 473 High St. property and the exterior and interior of 469 1/2 High St.

Amanda and Ashley Early said they are not yet sure of the estimated damage costs, but in their family's unit, the main bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and laundry room were destroyed.

"Everything in the attic is gone," Ashley Early said. "That's where we kept our baby pictures."

The family planned to spend Thanksgiving at their grandparents' house in Baltimore County, but Zijerdi said they don't expect they will be able to move back into their home until about the beginning of May.

"We hope something like this never happens again," he said.

Contact Vanessa Pellechio at 717-637-3736 ext. 150.