Grease fire guts homes
Families displaced by Pequea Twp. blaze BY BRETT HAMBRIGHT, Intelligencer Journal Staff
A fire Tuesday gutted a Pequea Township house converted into two apartments, investigators said.
Two families were displaced by the two-alarm fire at 777 and 779 Millwood Road, investigators said.
The fire started when Ronald DiEugenio, 27, was cooking with oil in
the first-floor unit (779), state police Fire Marshal Trooper Brian
Herr said.
The fire quickly spread to the second floor, investigators said.
No one was injured.
Herr estimated damages to be about $230,000.
The building "was pretty much destroyed," he said.
Herr said structural damages totaled about $180,000 and contents destroyed were valued at $50,000. The building was insured.
The fire started about 6 p.m., investigators said, when DiEugenio was cooking french fries and fish sticks in oil.
He left the kitchen when he was distracted by his 3-year-old son, Brenden, in the living room.
When DiEugenio returned to the kitchen, flames from the cooking pan were above the hood of the stove, Herr said.
DiEugenio tried to douse the flames with water, Herr said.
"Unfortunately that's about the worst thing you can do with a (grease) fire," Herr said.
He said the oil separated from the water and caused the fire to become larger.
DiEugenio "made every attempt to put the fire out, but he just couldn't do it," Herr said.
When DiEugenio realized he couldn't contain the fire, he got his son and ran upstairs to warn the neighbors, Herr said.
A couple and their two boys -- ages 9 years and 8 months -- lived in the second-floor unit.
They called 911 on a cell phone while the two families got out of the building, Herr said.
Red Cross of the Susquehanna Valley assisted the displaced families.
Firefighters from West Willow, Willow Street, Lampeter,
Millersville, New Danville, Lancaster Township and Conestoga helped
fight the fire.
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