Beaver Co. House Fire Leaves 1 Dead
ROCHESTER (KDKA) – A young man was killed when flames ripped through a house in Beaver County today.
Neighbors rescued the man's mother, but were not able to get him out in time.
The fire broke out around 1 a.m. at a home in the 700-block of Virginia Avenue in Rochester.
"We heard a loud explosion, we opened it up and saw flames shooting out of his house out of control," neighbor Geno Biondi said.
Biondi ran to the structure hoping to help the home's owner, Vonda Nichols, and her son, Doyle.
Vonda was out and alive, but Doyle was unaccounted for.
"She said something, 'Can you see if my son's bike is in the garage?'" Biondi said.
If the motorcycle was gone, Doyle was safe. If it was there, he too was in the burning home.
"He was trapped on the upstairs floor," Biondi said.
The flames grew and neighbors heard more explosions.
"My dad heard the explosion. I heard the second and third explosions. I'm not sure what that was from. They said there were oxygen tanks, so maybe they exploded," Biondi said.
Firefighters worked quickly to keep the blaze from spreading to nearby homes. However, a neighboring home's vinyl siding did melt.
Doyle Nichols was pronounced dead shortly afterward. The cause of death has been ruled as smoke inhalation.
"Those are very nice people. I feel so terrible. I wish there was more we could do," Biondi said.
While still under investigation, the fire is believed to have been electrical in nature.
Meanwhile, Vonda Nichols is staying with family.
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