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Fire caused
more than $100,000 damage to a Lancaster Township home Sunday December
4, leaving a family of five temporarily homeless.
LTFD responded to the 10:58 a.m. blaze after a
neighbor spotted the flames at 148 Bentley Lane and alerted one of the
residents to get out.
The next-door neighbor, Jim Heidig,
spotted the fire, knocked and entered the house to warn the occupants. George
Atticks, the father-in-law of the owner was watching T.V. at the time and was unaware the house was on fire.
Lancaster
Township Fire Chief Glenn Usdin arrived and encountered a large volume
of fire engulfing the garage of a large single family dwelling. The
fire was traveling up to the second floor and attic through the rafters
along the outer wall.
Chief Usdin transmitted a second alarm bringing
Millersville, Rohrerstown and West Lancaster fire companies.
Lancaster
Township Engine 6-6-2 was the first engine to arrive and immediately
went into service with a deck monitor focused on the main bulk of fire
which knocked down a large volume of the visible fire.
As the
second alarm apparatus started to arrive, Rohrerstown Truck 6-7 crew
forced the garage door and supplied ground ladders and chainsaws to
Millersville firefighters on division 3 who cut a ventilation hole in
the roof to allow smoke and heat escape the burning structure.
West
Lancaster and Millersville firefighters stretched three handlines to
extinguish the remaining fire. The first line was extended into the
main part of the dwelling and cut off the fire, the two remaining lines
operated into the second floor recreation room above the fire and the
attic.
Lancaster Township Rescue 6-6 was assigned the R.I.T. function.
A third alarm was requested to increase manpower capability when staging crews were limited.
By
the time firefighters extinguished the blaze 20 to 30 minutes later, it
had caused about $75,000 in structural damage and up to $30,000 in
content losses said Chief Usdin.
A fire wall between the garage and house prevented the fire from spreading to the main part of the house.
PA
State Police Fire Marshall Trooper Anthony Thomas was unable to
determine the exact cause of origin and has labeled the fire
"undetermined but not suspicious".
Also damaged in the fire, but not destroyed, Usdin said, was George Atticks' 1942 Ford, the only car in the garage.
Robyn
Atticks, homeownwr of 148 Bentely Lane, was sitting in church Sunday
morning when she heard sirens blaring at nearby New Danville Fire
Company. Little did she know the firefighters were headed for her
family's home where crews from seven fire companies were battling
flames ripping through the garage and game-room roof above it
"It
could've been worse," said Atticks, who planned to spend Sunday night
with family members at a local hotel. Atticks lives in the house with
her husband, Donald; their 14-year-old daughter; Donald's parents; and
a missionary friend. The family, who moved into the house in August,
will stay with Atticks' parents in Mount Joy until soot is removed from
the main part of the house and other damage is repaired, Atticks said.
Atticks just wants the family to be home by Christmas, she said.
Among the lost items are the couple's wedding pictures and video, Atticks said.
Atticks
said members of her church, Crossway Church of Lancaster, which meets
at New Danville Mennonite School, have stepped up to help the family.
"We're well taken care of," she said.
When
she learned of the fire after church Sunday -- after innocently
ignoring a cell phone call about it during the service -- Atticks'
reaction moved from shock to not being able to breathe, she said, to
hoping everyone was safe.
Fire companies responding in addition
to Lancaster Township firefighters were New Danville, Rohrerstown, West
Lancaster, Willow Street, Millersville, Conestoga and Lancaster EMS.
Southern Manheim Township Fire Company stood by in Lancaster Township F.D. North Station.
Units remained on the scene until 2:30 p.m.
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