Brownsville home decimated by fire; four displaced, none injured
SUBMITTED PHOTO - Flames engulf a home in the Brownsville section of West Mahanoy Township Thursday morning.
By Kaylee Lindenmuth | [email protected]
BROWNSVILLE – An early morning blaze completely leveled a free-standing home in the Brownsville section of West Mahanoy Township this morning.
The fire broke out around 5:20am at 1139 West Centre Street.
First arriving firefighters found the residence engulfed, and flames were visible from Shenandoah borough.
Firefighters from the Greater Shenandoah Area had to contend with wind gusts as high as 20 mph as embers soared into the sky.
A tanker task force was dispatched as well, as crews struggled to get enough water from the municipal hydrant system.
It took firefighters about an hour and a half to bring the fire under control, though, by then, the two and a half story home was reduced to rubble and a nearby Quonset hut garage, gazebo, and truck were damaged.
All four residents escaped the home safely and are being assisted by the American Red Cross.
State police fire marshal Trooper John Burns was called in to investigate.
According to the Schuylkill County Parcel Locator, the home is owned by Robert Hancock and Barbara Grigas.
No injuries were reported.
Firefighters from William Penn, Altamont, Shenandoah Heights, Shenandoah, Mahanoy City, Nuremberg-Weston, Girardville, Ringtown, and others responded to the scene.
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