Electrical fire damages Vandergrift family's home

A Vandergrift family of six is out of their home after it was damaged by fire Thursday.

The fire at 429 Walnut St., a two-story house at the corner of Walnut and Irving streets, was reported about 4:30 p.m., a Westmoreland County 911 dispatcher said. Firefighters from several volunteer companies responded.

A couple, a grandparent and three children — ages 7 weeks old, 1 year old and 4 years old — live in the house with a couple of pets, according to Vandergrift No. 2 fire Chief Albert Wells.

The mother and children were home at the time of the fire, said Randy Dunmire, chief of Vandergrift No. 1. He said the woman heard smoke detectors going off and got everyone out.

“They were very well protected, and it paid off for them,” Dunmire said.

No one was hurt, Wells said.

Wells said the fire was caused by an overheated electrical outlet in an attic bedroom.

Family members who were home at the time were downstairs and escaped out the back, Wells said. After police arrived and checked to make sure nobody else was inside, officers closed the back door, which Wells said helped control the fire.

Wells said a mattress in the attic bedroom was burned and there was minimal damage to the second floor. The roof was intact; firefighters broke the front attic window for ventilation.

“It’s fixable,” he said.

Wells said the family owns the home and has insurance. They could not stay in the house for the night because the electric meter had been pulled. Wells did not know where they would be staying.