MATT COURTER/Sun-Gazette Firefighters in South Williamsport responded to douse this blaze at 1723 Riverside Drive just before 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Quick action by firefighters in South Williamsport spared a house from complete ruin just after 5:12 p.m. Monday.

South Williamsport Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jeff Trammell said a family at 1723 Riverside Drive is staying with relatives after the fire caused an estimated $1,000 damage.

He said firefighters arrived to find light smoke showing from the front door of the house. A crew stretched a hose line into the house and a crew member used a portable “water extinguisher,” known as a PW and entered the basement to extinguish a fire caused by a bag mixed with clothes, toys and books that was too close to a furnace and combusted, causing the fire which was ruled accidental in nature. The fire was quickly knocked down. The family carried insurance, Trammell said.

Some damage was reported to a gas and water line, the latter which melted and acted as a sprinkler. An electrical line to the stove also melted. UGI turned the gas off. The main structure of the house remained intact, Trammell said. The quick action by multiple firefighters from various departments and companies essentially kept the damage to a minimum. The incident was completed just before 6:30 p.m.

Besides the South Williamsport Volunteer Fire Department, other fire departments included the City of Williamsport, DuBoistown, Old Lycoming Township, Loyalsock Township, Montoursville, Citizens Hose Co. of Jersey Shore and Woodward Township, Trammell said.