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Homeowner Alerted To Fire By Facebook

NEW BRIGHTON (KDKA) – There are new details about a fire that damaged two homes Thursday morning in Beaver County.

It turns out, the owner of one of the homes found out about the fire through Facebook.

"My daughter called me, I think it was around 9:15, and she said, 'Mom, I just got on Facebook and I saw a picture of your house. It's on fire,'" said Debbie Evans-Kanell, the homeowner.

Evans-Kanell was 45 minutes away when she got that call. The house - where she no longer lives, but still has belongings in - caught fire when the house next door went up in flames.

"I said, 'Are there any fire trucks there?' I was hoping they had things under control," Evans-Kanell said.

The house next door was a total loss. Damage to Evans-Kanell's home appeared to be limited to the upstairs and rear.

No one was home at either house, but one firefighter was treated for heat-related issues.

Evans-Kanell isn't sure what she is going to do with the house now, but she has new respect for social media. After all, that's what alerted her to the early-morning fire in the first place.

"I had no idea if the building would still be standing or it will be ashes," she said.

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