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UNITYVILLE -- A family of three was left homeless after their house at 71 Butternut Lane in Columbia County's Pine Township was destroyed by a fire that was reported about 7:30 p.m. Saturday, according to Unityville Fire Chief George Long. All three residents safely escaped the burning home after smoke was discovered coming from their basement, Long said. The names of the couple and their adult son displaced by the fire was not available.
Much of the one-and-a-half story home, about a mile south here, was engulfed in flames when volunteer firefighters arrived on the scene. Using numerous tankers, firefighters shuttled tens of thousands of gallons of water to the scene from two ponds; one from about a mile away, and another near the routes 42 and 118 intersection after the first pond was depleted, Long explained.
Several inches of snow were falling at the time, and moving fire apparatus in and out of the fire scene was quite challenging since Butternut Lane is not much more than a one-lane dirt road.
There were no reports of injuries as the fire burned out of control for several hours. The cause of the fire remained undetermined, but there was nothing suspicious about it, Long said. The family, who was getting assistance from the local chapter of the American Red Cross, had fire insurance. Although the home was a total loss, firefighters were successful in stopping the flames from spreading to a three-car attached garage, Long said.
In addition to Unityville, firefighters from Millville, Benton, Lairdsville, Hughesville, Muncy Area, North Mountain, Buckhorn and Muncy Valley all responded. A small flare-up occurred about 6 a.m. Sunday.