Residents, pets escape blaze at Adamsburg apartment building, but 8 people left homeless

A fire investigator is looking into the cause of a Friday evening fire that extensively damaged an Adamsburg house containing three apartments.

An outdoor grill may have been involved, as flames spread from a rear porch into the two-story house, according to Adamsburg Fire Chief Donald Thoma.

Thoma said the fire displaced about eight residents, but no one was injured. The blaze reported just after 6:30 p.m. in the 200 block of Main Street.

A woman who resides in the building was too distraught to speak to a reporter. A visiting friend, Joy Puskaric of Johnstown, said the flames were discovered while the woman was preparing food on the grill.

“She put steaks on the grill, came in, went right back out and said everything was on fire,” Puskaric said. “We looked out, and the porch was on fire.

“I’ve never experienced anything like that,” Puskaric said. “It was scary.”

Several pet cats and a dog all made it out safely, Thoma said.

Firefighters had to pull hoses up a steep embankment to reach the house, but they were able to get the flames under control in about a half hour, he said. They used ladders to reach the fire, which extended into the attic.

“We were coming back from another call, and it was just two minutes before we got there,” Thoma said.

The fire had a head start, but Thoma noted the building is older, with heavy timbers that don’t burn as quickly as more modern construction materials.

The building “won’t be livable for a while,” he said.

The American Red Cross was notified, to assist the occupants in finding alternate shelter.

Several area fire departments assisted, including High Park, Fort Allen, Grapeville and Westmoreland City.

The fire investigation will be handled by an investigator from neighboring Hempfield.