Neighbors Alert Family To House Fire In Plum
PLUM BORO (KDKA) – Two people inside a Plum Boro home escaped injury after a fire broke out Sunday morning.
According to emergency dispatchers, the fire broke out in the 300-block of Woodlawn Avenue. Firefighters brought it under control shortly after 9 a.m.
Then, crews spent Easter morning throwing out burnt, soaked and smoke-ruined belongings from the home.
"When I arrived there was smoke showing from the second floor. It was pretty heavy. It was black smoke pushing out the window," said Asst. Chief Steve Imbarlina, of the Unity Fire Department. "Never is a good day for a house fire, but we did the best we could to keep the damage to a minimum."
As bad as the situation is, it could have been much worse; however, it was the neighbors and their dog that helped alert the family to the fire.
"My wife, Nancy, she was out with the dog, and she actually saw the smoke and it got dark quick," said neighbor Joe Simboli. "I threw my clothes on and ran over and banged on the door. I took a fire extinguisher over and tried to help them out, but it was just too [much] black smoke to get up there."
The fire broke out around 7:45 a.m.
"Actually, we were [going to] go to church at 7:30. Instead, we decided to go to 10:30 Mass," said Simboli. "Good thing we did because I don't think they would have known their house was on fire."
The owner of the home didn't want to speak on camera, but told KDKA's Ross Guidotti that his son always sleeps in the attic area, where the fire apparently started, but for whatever reason last night fell asleep downstairs.
Investigators say the cause of the fire appears to be electrical in nature.
The homeowner says his house was not insured and he's not sure what he and his son are going to do. The Red Cross is helping them out.
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