Firefighter battle a house fire near Dushore on Thursday. PHOTO PROVIDED

DUSHORE – A retired Navy veteran and his dog safely escaped their Cherry Township home late Thursday afternoon when a wind-driven fire swept through the two-story property on Churchill Street.

“Such fires are extremely dangerous and hard to fight,” Dushore Fire Chief John Yonkin said.

The fire at 1114 Churchill St., about three miles north of here, started on an enclosed back porch and was reported just before 4 p..m., Yonkin said.

The homeowner, whose name was not released, and his dog, were already out of the house when firefighters arrived on the scene.

Firefighters donned self-contained breathing apparatus and entered the century-old double wood plank home with a couple of hoses. They initially had the fire knocked down in a matter of minutes, Yonkin said.

Firefighter battle a house fire near Dushore on Thursday. PHOTO PROVIDED

“However, when the crew went in the house, the wind was right behind them and it pushed the fire deeper into the home,” he explained.

Firefighters from Dushore, Mildred, Muncy Valley and Forksville all responded on the first alarm. When the flames were erupted by the wind a second time, Yonkin called for additional resources from the fire departments in Eagles Mere, New Albany, Wilmot and Towanda. Within 30 minutes, it was a three-alarm fire.

“This was a very tough fire to fight. I think the temperature was around 10 degrees, but with the wind, it felt like zero,” Yonkin said. There were no reports of injuries.

Even though the fire was under control in about 20 minutes, additional manpower was needed because of the bitter cold.

Once the fire was out, firefighters spent the next three hours tearing down ceilings and “opening up walls,” to douse hidden pockets of fire that were located with the help of thermal imaging cameras, Yonkin explained.

Firefighter battle a house fire near Dushore on Thursday. PHOTO PROVIDED

A half a dozen employees from nearby County Line Property Worx, a tree trimming service, helped firefighters in several ways, including using their excavator to knock a hole in the frozen pond across the street so that firemen could refill their tanker trucks.

It is believed a portable kerosene heater on the back porch may have been a contributing factor to the fire, but the exact cause will be undetermined, Yonkin said.

The homeowner, now staying with a neighbor, had no insurance, but the local American Legion post is trying to offer him some emergency assistance, Yonkin added.

Firefighter battle a house fire near Dushore on Thursday. PHOTO PROVIDED

Firefighter battle a house fire near Dushore on Thursday. PHOTO PROVIDED