The family’s two dogs safely got out as well; one of them was reportedly carried out of the house by a firefighter.

Soon after the fire broke out in the garage of Jaron and Irenes Bartholomew’s home at 1508 Grove St., a number of explosions took place.

Jaron Bartholomew, employed by Pepsi, was at work when the fire broke out about 5:50 a.m.

At least one or two explosions took place as firefighters were arriving on the scene. Another one occurred as a group of firemen were in the house trying to prevent the fire from spreading further.

The garage fire quickly speead to an attached home at 1508 Grove St. Several explosions took place, including one that blew out a big bay window at the front of  the house. The entire window frame landed on the deck.  PHILIP A. HOLMES/Sun-Gazette

“No one was injured in the explosions. The firefighters re-grouped and continued to fight the fire,” city Fire Chief Tracey Harer said.

“One explosion blew the front bay window right out of the house. It blew the whole window frame out of the wall,” he said.

A 13-year-old neighbor said he was awakened by one of the explosions.

“I looked out my window to see if it was fireworks. When I came outside, I saw thick black smoke going up in the air and saw the flames in the garage. I heard another bang,” the teen said.

Neighbor Monica Lanczak was among one of those to call 911.

“When I came out on my deck, I saw this big plume of black smoke,” Lanczak, a retired professor at the School of Hospitality at the Pennsylvania College of Technology, said.

The column of smoke could be seen as far as Montoursville.

Lanczak ran to the home of Ken and Dawn Wittman, whose house is right next to the Bartholomew’s garage, and started ringing their doorbell and banging their front door, alerting them to the fire.

The couple heard her and came out at once.

“She just pounded and pounded, and told us to get out,” Dawn Wittman said.

Radiant heat from the blaze damaged the side of the Wittman’s home.

“The firemen showed up pretty darn fast. As soon as they got the hoses going, the fire was out,” Ken Wittman, a retired contractor, said.

I’m just glad that no one got hurt,” Lanczak said.

The two-alarm fire – which brought additional manpower and equipment from Montoursville, Old Lycoming Township and South Williamsport to the scene – was declared under control by about 6:30 a.m. Jersey Shore firefighters stood by at fire headquarters in the city ready to respond to any other emergencies in the area.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation. The displaced family is staying with relatives, fire officials confirmed.

City firefighters prepare to battle a fire that leveled a garage and damaged an attached home at 1508 Grove St. on Wednesday morning. PHILIP A. HOLMES/Sun-Gazette

Radiant heat from the garage fire at 1508 Grove St. caused extensive damage to the siding of the home owned by neighbors  Ken and Dawn Wittman. PHILIP A. HOLMES/Sun-Gazette

Several exlosions were heard during the fire; one of them blew this section of what was a small acetylene tank clear across the street.  PHILIP A. HOLMES/Sun-Gazette