A state police fire marshal is investigating the cause of a weekend fire that gutted the garage of an abandoned house in Delmont, according to fire officials.
Fire Chief Don Cline reported that firefighters quickly contained the fire in the two-car attached garage at the East White Oak Drive home that was reported just before 10:30 p.m. Sunday.
“We had just returned from a call for someone hitting a deer with their car along Route 66, so some of the men were already in the fire hall and were able to go right out,” Cline said.
Firefighters were concerned the fire would spread into the adjoining split-level home, according to Cline.
“The house has been abandoned from some time now and had no utilities connected, so we called the state police fire marshal to investigate the cause,” Cline said.
Cline said the borough’s public works department was also called to assist. Police also assisted at the scene.
“It was a hoarding situation inside the garage, so we called out the public works department to move out some of the smoldering items in the garage so we could douse it, so we wouldn’t be called back out there,” Cline said.
One firefighter had to be treated at the scene by paramedics after he became “overheated,” Cline said.
Delmont was assisted at the scene by units from Claridge, Export, Forbes Road, Sardis and Slickville.
