Three Firefighters Hospitalized After Responding To Heavy House Fire In Monessen
MONESSEN (KDKA) - Several fire crews battled a heavy house fire in Monessen this afternoon.
The fire chief tells KDKA that it was a nightmare to get to because the road to the home is only one way in and one way out.
According to the chief, when they arrived on the scene just after 3:00 p.m., a woman had yelled that her son was trapped inside.
One crew entered the home to search for the person and the second crew battled the flames from the outside.
While inside, a firefighter fell through a hole on the second floor of the house and had to be taken to the hospital via medical helicopter.
"We had one firefighter go down through a hole in the floor, he was airlifted to AGH," said Chief Delmar Hepple.
He was not the only firefighter taken to the hospital during the fire.
The fire chief says that two others were rushed to the hospital for smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion.
"The only good news is we had a water source very close here at the steps," Chief Hepple said. "So we hand-jacked a line 50-60 feet to the water source and that was the blessing that we had. If we would've had to lay a line in here, then it makes it complicated to get other units in because you have a charge line down the roadway."
There was no one inside the home at the time, as they learned the home was vacant.
The home is a total loss.
"Whatever isn't burnt is smoke and water ruined, so a total loss," Hepple said.
However, there was a squatter who had been staying there for a few months.
Pennsylvania State Police and the Pennsylvania State Fire Marshal will investigate what started the fire.
A t-shirt fundraiser is being held for Charleroi Fire Captain Matt Prentice. You can find the fundraiser online, by calling 724-310-3990 or stopping in Sparkles by Shell in Monongahela.
