Morning fire destroys home in East Huntingdon; hydrant in Mt. Pleasant Village complex had no water pressure
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Ben Ion, who lives on Holiday Court in East Huntingdon, was about to have breakfast Wednesday morning when he noticed a glow coming from a home across the street.
He raced to the home, banged on a window and made sure the two people living there escaped the flames that ultimately destroyed it. The pair, a mother and daughter who were not identified, were conscious and taken from the scene by ambulance as a precaution.
“He saved them,” neighbor Cindy Beal said.
East Huntingdon Fire Chief Brian Kite said the mobile home in Mt. Pleasant Village along Mt. Pleasant Road was a total loss. A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause, but Kite said it appears the 6 a.m. blaze started on the front porch.
Flames were visible from nearby Countryside Shopping Center and Route 119.
Firefighters’ efforts were hampered because the closest working fire hydrant was about 1,500 feet away, approximately a quarter mile, from the scene on a cul-de-sac, Kite said.
“That’s not good at all,” he said.
A hydrant in middle of the community was not usable — “There’s no (water) pressure behind it,” he said.
Kite plans to discuss the hydrant situation with management of the community. There are dozens of mobile homes in Mt. Pleasant Village, which is between Mt. Pleasant and Scottdale.
East Huntingdon, Mt. Pleasant, Scottdale, Everson, Connellsville Township and Youngwood volunteer fire departments responded.
Another neighbor, Martha Dragovich, lives beside the residence that caught fire. She said two dogs died in the blaze but a puppy was rescued. She had left for work early Wednesday but came home after getting a call about the fire. Her home was not damaged, she said.
Dirk Kaufman is a TribLive news editor. He can be reached at dkaufman@triblive.com. Renatta Signorini is a TribLive staff writer. She can be reached at rsignorini@triblive.com.