Fire rips through Isabella house
A house on Main Street in Isabella was burning out of control early Saturday when firefighters arrived on the scene. The fire was called in by a neighbor awakened by the glow of the fire around 3:26 a.m. There was no one living at the house at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. The state police fire marshal has been called in to investigate the cause.
A house on Main Street in Isabella was burning out of control early Saturday when firefighters arrived on the scene. The fire was called in by a neighbor awakened by the glow of the fire around 3:26 a.m. There was no one living at the house at the time of the fire and no injuries were reported. The state police fire marshal has been called in to investigate the cause.
?LUZERNE TWP. — The state police fire marshal was called to investigate a fire that destroyed a vacant home in Isabella early Saturday and residents are worried an arsonist is again on the loose in the community.
“They better catch who’s doing this,” said Isabella Fire Chief Jimmy Dugan. “It’s starting all over again.”
The village of Isabella was plagued by suspicious fires over the past 15 to 20 years, though there have been few fires in the community since 2002, when the fire department’s social hall was burned. Four firefighters were arrested for arson and insurance fraud and served federal time for the June 2002 fires that destroyed the century-old hall.
The fire Saturday at 567 Main St. was reported to Fayette County 911 at 3:26?a.m., with firefighters remaining on the scene until shortly before 6?a.m. Amanda Smith, who lives across the street, made the call after being awakened by the glow from the fire.
“I panicked. It’s my aunt’s house. The glow woke me, the orange glow. My whole room was illuminated,” Smith said. It was gone before Isabella (fire department) got here.”
Fayette County property records show the house as being owned by Debra and Richard Samol. Smith said her cousin, Dustin Bohna, had been living in the house, but recently moved. Smith said she worried about her own home catching fire.
“The house was really hot,” Smith said.
Kayla Smolk, 14, who lives in the house beside Smith, was also awakened by the light from the fire, but her bedroom window doesn’t face the fire scene. Light from the fire reflected into her room from the side of a neighboring house farther down the street.
Firefighters from Isabella, Tower Hill 2, Allison 2, Allison 3 and South Brownsville were called in to fight the fire.
“All the departments were called and they did a wonderful job protecting the exposures,” Dugan said.
The lots on either side of the fire are vacant, the houses that had been there destroyed by previous fires, but firefighters sprayed water on the houses across the street and the nearest house beside the burning structure to keep them from burning as well. Steam could be seen rising from the neighboring homes as they were wetted down. Dugan said there was little else the firefighters could do.
“It was fully engulfed and out of control. It was just falling through,” Dugan said. “I said ‘Let it go and protect the other ones.'”
Dugan said he had three hydrants to run lines from, one at either end of Main Street and one in the alley behind the fire scene.
“We need hydrants here bad,” Dugan said.
The fire Saturday brought back frightening memories for Isabella residents.
“The first house fire I ever saw was in 1982 when I moved here,” said Donna Harn. “I was stunned, amazed; I’d never seen any fires before I moved to Isabella. It’s sad. I hate this.”
Numerous vacant houses had burned prior to the 2002 fire hall blaze, with few arrests made.
“I’m 22 years old and I saw all of them burn,” said Smith. “It’s a shame; there are so many vacant lots in town now.”