Two brothers safely escaped their Fairfield Township mobile home early this morning when an electrical fire broke out at the rear of the property, Montoursville Fire Chief Steve Wilson said. Within 15 minutes, a second fire was reported on High Street in Williamsport.
Concerning the first incident, Kenneth Stark and his brother, Richard, awoke about 6:15 to find a back bedroom and bathroom at their home at 179 Old Cement Road filling up with smoke, Wilson said.
A neighbor seeing the fire called 911.
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Two fires in Williamsport area
"The fire was in the ceiling, but not through the roof," Wilson said. He estimated damage between $20,000 to $30,000.
"These types of properties can go up in minutes when there is a fire. We were fortunate here," Wilson said. "We had a moderate amount of smoke coming from the back of the trailer when we arrived on the scene," he added.
The fire was under control in about 15 minutes. While volunteer firefighters were successful in saving the structure,"it's unknown if the property (at the Twin Hills Village) can be renovated or if it has to be completely rebuilt," Wilson said.
"The living room and kitchen are all intact, a lot of personal items are salvageable," he said. With the assistance of a state police fire marshal, investigators ruled the cause of the fire to be electrical, starting in a ceiling, Wilson said.
The brothers, who had no fire insurance, were staying with relatives, Wilson said. The local chapter of the American Red Cross was providing additional help to the victims.
The fire in the city at 1031 High St. was reported 6:26 a.m. and reportedly involved a kitchen. No one was home at the time, and the fire was declared under control in 15 minutes. There were no injuries.
