UPDATE: Unattended Fire Pit Caused Fire That Left Eight Homeless
UPDATED: 10:43 a.m., Thursday:
A Penndel Borough police officer’s quick actions helped save eight people, including several children, from a house fire early Thursday morning.
Officer Sean Peck was working at the Penndel Borough police station, which is across from the Woodland Avenue home, around 4:40 a.m. when he went outside and noticed the fire from the dwelling, according to Chief of Police Sean Perry.
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The chief said Peck entered the home despite the flames and heavy smoke conditions.
“His swift and courageous efforts led to the successful evacuation of eight individuals,” Perry said. “His immediate response prevented what could have been a tragic loss of life.”
Penndel Fire Company Deputy Chief Sam Simon said all eight residents were sleeping when the fire broke out.
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“[Officer Peck] was just trying to tell them, ‘we need to get out, get out now,’” Simon said. “He basically saved eight people’s lives because they were all inside the house sleeping at the time.”
Justin Ritorto, a neighbor, said he also spotted the fire as he prepared his car to head to the gym and then work. He started banging on doors, including those of neighbors, to alert them to the blaze.
“Thank God they got out,” he said, adding his friend who lives next to the fire-ravaged home had his baby in his house.
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Simon said no injuries were reported.
The displaced residents were evaluated by emergency medical personnel and taken somewhere warm amid the cold weather.
The multi-family dwelling housed what Simon believes were a couple of different families.
Some pets, including rabbits, were reported to be in the house during the fire.
Simon said they don’t know if the animals survived.
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Penndel Borough Fire Marshal Jim Bampfield said he is investigating the cause of the blaze and has reviewed the officer’s bodycam footage.
The American Red Cross responded to assist the displaced residents.
Spokesperson Alana Mauger said volunteers are providing comfort and emotional care, financial assistance, access to health services, and referrals to local resources.
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The Penndel fire was one of three in the region Red Cross teams responded to over several hours. They also helped three people in a Chester County fire and five people after a Philadelphia blaze.
As fire crews pour water on the Penndel Borough blaze, thick white smoke from the house, which was driven by gusty winds, blew across the borough and into the faces of firefighters.
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Firefighting efforts were made more difficult by severe hoarding conditions throughout the house and in the backyard.
“All four floors, all the way up through the third floor, jam packed with materials,” Simon said. “The hoarding conditions made it very, very hard.”
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When firefighters arrived, they found the house fully engulfed in flames.
The intensity of the fire and hoarding conditions led to firefighters attacking the flames from the outside.
“It was safer to do it from the exterior,” Simon said.
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Firefighters used ground ladders to access windows and ladder trucks to cut holes in the roof and windows to knock down the fire.
The old house’s balloon-style construction allowed fire to run through the walls and made it tough for firefighters reach all areas of the fire.
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Borough officials said they expect the home to be torn down Thursday due to the damage and worries about a collapse.
Fire crews called for equivalent of two alarms worth of apparatus, but they didn’t technically strike a second alarm, Simon said.
Water supply challenges in the borough required firefighters to set up multiple supply lines to different water grids, Simon said.
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Crews used four different water supplies to provide the amount of water needed to extinguish the fire, including hoses across West Lincoln Highway and to Durham Road.
Weather conditions added another layer of difficulty for firefighters.
While temperatures were warmer when crews first arrived, tempatures dropped throughout the morning with ice from the water runoff developing, leading to PennDOT dispatching a salt truck.
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“It’s always hard for the firefighters working in these conditions,” Simon said.
Firefighters from around Lower Bucks County responded to the scene to assist with putting out the flames. The canteen truck from the Bensalem Township Volunteer Fire Company responded to provide drinks, coffee, and food for firefighters, who are expected to remain at the scene for hours.
It was unclear if the home had working smoke detectors, but the deputy chief stressed the importance of smoke detectors installed in every bedroom and on every floor of a house.
“Smoke detectors save lives,” Simon said.
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The fire and surrounding road closures impacted the routes of several Neshaminy School District buses.
Borough officials said it also impacted trash collection for some homes and the waste hauler will return Friday to get the trash they could not collect Thursday morning.
Original Story:
Firefighters battled an early morning blaze Thursday in Penndel Borough.
The fire in the unit block of Woodland Avenue was reported to the county 9-1-1 center around 4:40 a.m.
Flames were visible minutes later as they were shooting from the residence, according to neighbors and dispatch records.
Penndel Borough Chief of Police Sean Perry said an officer was the one who spotted the fire. The officer quickly alerted the residents, who were able to escape unhurt. The police station located directly across the street from where the fire happened.
The Penndel Fire Company, which is just around the corner, arrived at the scene and was being assisted by multiple fire companies from Lower Bucks County.
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Crews were still arriving an hour later as flames were visible from the rear of the home.
A portion of West Lincoln Highway near Centre Avenue was temporarily blocked so firefighters could run hoses across the roadway.
Thick white smoke, driven by gusty winds, blew through the borough and into the faces of firefighters who used ladder trucks to douse the flames.
The Penndel-Middletown Emergency Squad was on standby at the scene.
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