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Man Dies After Escaping Lawrence County Fire

MAHONING TOWNSHIP (KDKA)- A Lawrence County man is dead after fire ripped through his home early Monday morning.

The fire started around 12:30 a.m. at a house in the 1100-block of Hillsville Road in Mahoning Township.

Police received two emergency calls for the fire, one from a resident, and then a few minutes later, from a passerby who said flames were shooting through the roof.

When fire crews arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames.

Robert Knepp, 82, and two other family members were able to get out of the rear of the house. Knepp collapsed in the backyard and died. The exact cause of his death is unknown.

The other two family members were not seriously hurt.

The house is a total loss and the state fire marshal is looking into the cause.

Water had to be trucked to the scene because there were no fire hydrants in the area. Additional fire crews had to be called in to help put out the fire and the hot spots.

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