Fire was accidental; neighbors pitch in to help couple

A Tyrone woman escaped injury Tuesday afternoon when a fire started in her garage and eventually damaged the entire structure, officials said.

When the first fire crew got on the scene at 133 Crestwood, the structure was fully involved in flames, with some piercing through the roof area, said Lt. Scott Roberts of the Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

That crew arrived four minutes after they were dispatched to the scene, but there may have been a delay in receiving the initial call because the fire apparently knocked out phone service to the house, Roberts said. The woman’s husband had to call 911 for her with another phone though he wasn’t home at the time, Roberts said.

The fire is being considered accidental and is attributed to the disposal of ashes from the home’s fireplace, Roberts said. The embers were put in the garage but were not in a metal container.

Fire officials suggest removing fireplace ashes only in a metal container and watering them down to prevent any fire. Also the ashes should be put in a safe place away from the wind to avoid sparking an outdoor fire, Roberts said.

All told the fire department had 28 personnel on the scene battling the fire. Because the flames were so intense inside the structure, firefighters had to battle the flames from the exterior for a time initially until it was safe for them to enter the home. It took about an hour to get the fire under control, which means the crews are working to put out “hot spots.”

Friends of the family came to help with the salvage operation, and other than smoke damage most of the couple’s clothes were saved, Roberts said. Also, though they were damaged by water, most of the family’s photographs were also spared from the flames, he added.

Roberts said the sight of friends helping neighbors after fires is a recurring theme in Fayette County in general.

Officials have tabulated the entire loss at around $300,000.

The house is on a rather large lot and no nearby structures were endangered, Roberts said. No firefighters were injured while fighting the blaze, he added.