Couple escapes Lower Burrell home heavily damaged in blaze

A Lower Burrell man who ran into his neighbors’ burning home Sunday says he found them “calm” inside.

Randy Bargerstock said the backyard of his Rodgers Drive home borders the backyard of Charles and Susan Allias’ home on Jefferson Drive, which is located a good distance behind Glen’s Custard on Leechburg Road.

Bargerstock said he ran over to the house after seeing smoke. In the yard he found their son, who told him his parents were still inside.

Bargerstock said the couple knew their home was burning but were calm.

“I said, ‘You got to get out of here,’ ” he said.

As they headed out with police, Bargerstock said, Charles Allias wanted to go back for his cane.

“I was ready just to grab that dude,” Bargerstock said.

The fire then grew and spread, sending up a plume of smoke that spectators said was seen from as far away as the Pittsburgh Mills mall complex in Frazer.

Bargerstock said the fire evolved from looking like he could put it out with a hose to gutting the house.

“I was shocked that it spread that quick,” Bargerstock said. “It really took off. It really did.”

The fire at the Allias’ home at 176 Jefferson Drive was reported about 11:40 a.m., a Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher said. In addition to Lower Burrell, volunteer firefighters from Allegheny Township, Arnold, New Kensington and Plum responded, along with specialized crews from Oakmont and Aspinwall, said Lower Burrell No. 3 Chief Brennan Sites.

A state police fire marshal would be investigating the cause, Sites said.

“The homeowner stated that they smelled smoke, went to a back bedroom, opened a door and the entire back room was engulfed,” he said.

Sites said he called in additional resources because of the Father’s Day holiday and the heat. No firefighters were hurt.

“I had to rotate crews pretty regularly,” he said. “All these men and women did an awesome job.”

Sites said the first call told them people might have been trapped inside. One of his lieutenants arrived and found heavy fire in the back of the house.

Sites said the occupants were initially out of the house but went back in.

“My lieutenant as well as two Lower Burrell police officers went in, removed the homeowners from the residence and got them to safety,” Sites said. “They didn’t require any medical treatment or anything like that, they’re good, but unfortunately their house has a major loss to it.”

Firefighters were later seen handing over personal possessions recovered from the house to Susan Allias in front of a neighboring house as her husband, Charles, who uses oxygen, was sitting in the back of a vehicle.

Susan Allias said she and her husband live mainly in Myrtle Beach, but they were in the area for high school graduation parties.

Sites said firefighters were told there were upward of 36 oxygen tanks inside the house. Most were in the front room and were removed immediately, and others weretaken out as firefighters found them. None exploded.

Sites said firefighters at first hoped to keep the fire contained, but it started creeping through the house and got to the point where he pulled firefighters out, reassessed and knocked it down from the outside.

“It was a pretty intense fire,” Sites said. “We’re very fortunate that no one was injured.”

Kathy Perry of Fawn said she saw the black smoke from the area of Sam’s Club in Frazer and drove over to see what it was.

“The flames were shooting through the roof real high. There was a lot of flames, a lot of smoke,” she said. “A lot of firefighters were here battling it.”

Perry said what she saw was scary.

“I feel bad for the family, but the firefighters are awesome,” she said. “They risk their lives every day for the people.”