Woman escapes early morning fire as it ravages Linn Street duplex

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The blaring sound of a smoke alarm saved the life of a Linn Street woman who was awakened in time to safely escape her burning home early Friday morning, city fire officials said.

Maureen Roupp fled the inferno through the back door at 2331 Linn St. with only the clothes on her back about 2 a.m., city fire Platoon Chief Eric Smith said.

The double home at 2331-2333 Linn St. was engulfed in flames when firefighters reached the scene.

Roupp's husband, Mark, was at work at First Quality Products in Clinton County when the fire broke out.

Smith said the other half of the duplex was vacant.

City fire officials said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.

Samantha Shultz, who lives across the street at 2332 Linn St., was one of the people who called 911.

She was still up when she happened to catch out of the corner of her eye the reflection of flames through her blinds on her bedroom window.

"I looked out and saw what was at first a small fire on the front porch (of the Roupp's home). It wasn't big. I think a fire extinguisher could have put it out," Shultz said.

"While I was on my cell phone with 911, the fire shot straight up and over. The flames were shooting from the house. The next thing I knew, the house was engulfed in flames in less than two minutes," Shultz said.

William "Pete" Logan, who lives in the double house about 15 feet east of the Roupps, said when he ran into his back yard, Maureen Roupp was already in her yard, yelling that her husband was at work.

"She would never have made it through the living room and out the front door, never," Logan, a retired city fire platoon chief, said.

"I could see the reflection, an orange glow on my garage windows. When I looked between the houses, fire was blowing out five to six feet at the front of the house on the first floor. The entire window was full of fire (on the Roupp said)," Logan said.

Another neighbor, Richard Hollingsworth, who lives across the street, said "I heard some noises, some glass breaking, and people yelling. Then I looked out the window. The fire wasn't real high when I first saw it, but it didn't take more than a minute for it to really take off."

Members of Maureen Roupp's family were thankful that she made it out alive.

"That's the most important thing, that she got out. Everything else can be replaced," her brother, Michael English, told a reporter as he watched thick smoke pour from his sister's home.

Mark Roupp arrived at the scene within an hour.

With a blanket wrapped around her, Maureen Roupp appeared dazed from the trauma as she sat in a chair near her burning home. Relatives shielded her from reporters.

Platoon Chief Smith ordered a second alarm at 2:07 a.m., bringing 10 off-duty city firefighters and additional manpower and equipment from Old Lycoming Township, DuBoistown, South Williamsport, Montoursville and Montgomery.

Since the city's tower truck has been out of service for repairs for about six weeks, South Williamsport's ladder truck responded on the initial alarm.

The aerial truck was used to douse much of the fire in the attic, allowing other firefighters, all wearing self-contained breathing apparatus, to advance hoses through the front and back doors, Smith said.

The fire was brought under control in about an hour. One city firefighter suffered a minor facial injury, but declined treatment, Smith said.

The Roupps, who own the duplex, have insurance and are staying with relatives. Damage to their property was set at $100,000 damage.

Radiant heat from the fire damaged two neighboring properties, including Logan's duplex, which sustained about $50,000 damage. Another home, occupied by Linnea Mabb, about six feet west of the Roupp's double, suffered about $20,000 damage.