Dec 21, 2006 By Christine Haines 3 min read

LUZERNE TWP. – When Kelly Walls heard the fire sirens Wednesday morning, she thought what a terrible time of year it was for a house fire and hoped the fire department was being called out for a minor traffic accident or similar occurrence. The 5:45 a.m. fire call wasn’t for a minor accident, though. It was for a fire at Walls’ sister’s house, 154 Keeney Row at Dunlevy Lane. Fayette County 911 simply listed the fire as being in the 100 block of Keeney Row, Luzerne Township.

The address can be a bit confusing, according to Lorrie Robaugh, Walls’ sister who lives in the house.

“When I was teaching the kids about 911 and (Fayette County) was changing the addresses, I told them to just say it’s the one on Keeney Row that’s on fire. I never thought they’d have to use that,” Lorrie Robaugh said.

Lorrie Robaugh works at Jefferson Hospital in Jefferson Hills, Allegheny County, and was finishing up a 12-hour shift when the fire started at her home. Her husband, Mark Robaugh, had just left for work. Their children – 15-year-old Abbie, 17-year-old Jacob and 20-year-old Josh – were still sleeping.

“My daughter was woken up by the fire,” Lorrie Robaugh said.

Later Wednesday, Jacob Robaugh pointed to the burned-out area just below the eaves.

“That was my bedroom. My brother woke me up,” Jacob Robaugh said.

The state police fire marshal has been called to investigate the cause of the fire, but the Robaughs said it appeared to start with the electrical system, although the fire did not trip any of the breakers.

Mark Robaugh said the firefighters had a difficult time fighting the fire because of renovations that had been made to the house.

“It was in the walls. They couldn’t even get to it without chopping through the walls,” Mark Robaugh said.

The family has rented the Keeney Row house for the past 13 years. It is located next door to Mark Robaugh’s childhood home.

“We moved here when his mom and grandma were ill,” Lorrie Robaugh said. “We saw his mother through Alzheimer’s and his grandmother through a variety of illnesses.”

Mark Robaugh’s mother died this year. Her mother had died several years ago. Lorrie Robaugh said she was keeping the fire in perspective.

“It’s not the worst thing. Both of us have lost both of our parents. It’s hard at Christmas with the family so small now, but at least the kids are safe. All the rest is just stuff,” Lorrie Robaugh said. “We’ll be OK. We have lots of friends and family.”

Fire hit at least a portion of nearly every room in the house.

“There was fire in every room except one tiny room at the front of the house. My room didn’t burn, but everything is wet,” Lorrie Robaugh said.

It was unclear if the family would be able to salvage many of its possessions.

“What isn’t burned is soaked,” Mark Robaugh said.

Mark Robaugh said he does not have renter’s insurance on the property.

The Tower Hill 2 Volunteer Fire Department was the first on the scene. They were assisted by firefighters from Republic, New Salem, McClellandtown, Luzerne Township (LaBelle), Isabella, Adah, Allison 2 and South Brownsville, with Hiller on standby. According to Fayette County 911, firefighters were on the scene from 5:45 until 9:25 a.m.