Kids start blaze; five displaced
By Rob Scott
The Daily Item
MILTON -- Two children playing with a candle lighter started a fire Tuesday night that displaced five people. Milton Fire Chief Sam Shaffer said the children, who he believed were about 3 or 4 years old, were in their second-floor bedroom at 583 Mahoning St. when they set a mattress on fire around 7:10 p.m. No one was injured, Shaffer said. Firefighters from Milton and Warrior Run departments extinguished the blaze within minutes, Shaffer said. The fire was contained to the bedroom, although there was heat and smoke damage on the second floor and water damage on the first. The other side of the duplex, 581 Mahoning St., did not sustain damage, Shaffer said. The children's mother, Dora Gonzalez, rented the half-double from Douglas Wertz, of Watsontown, and lived there with her children and two other people. Shaffer said he was unsure whether the other two people were relatives. After speaking with Shaffer, Gonzalez met with representatives of the Upper Northumberland County Red Cross, whose office is directly across the street from her home. Belinda Stefl, disaster director with the Red Cross, said the tenants would be staying with family.
Fire displaces two
Officials: Fluorescent light fell on, ignited mattresses
By Rob Scott
The Daily Item
MILTON -- A fluorescent light fell on some mattresses and started a fire in the basement of a home Tuesday, displacing the couple who lived there. Firefighters responded to the blaze at 20 Old Farm Lane in West Chillisquaque Township, Northumberland County, at about 2 p.m.Terry Rager, who lives in the home with his girlfriend, April DeWalt, said he was getting ready for work and had gone out to the shed in the backyard when he noticed smoke coming from the basement. Milton Fire Chief Sam Shaffer said when firefighters arrived at the scene, the house was filled with smoke. They quickly traced the origin of the fire to a basement room and knocked it down in a matter of minutes, but not before it caused severe damage to the bottom floor of the house, the chief said. There was smoke damage on the second floor. "Everything I own is in there," Rager said as he stood by the backyard shed while firefighters doused hot spots inside the home. "The whole bottom floor is gone." He and DeWalt had lived in the home for nearly a year. The chief and fire marshal Norman Fedder determined the fire started after a fluorescent light fell from the ceiling onto mattresses that had been piled in the basement room while the homeowners were remodeling. Shaffer said the home was not livable and Rager and DeWalt planned to stay with family. Firefighters from Milton, White Deer Township and Warrior Run responded to the scene, as did workers from the Upper Northumberland County Chapter of the American Red Cross.
On the Local front: We are constantly on the look out for volunteers in this department. Call the chapter to discuss training and volunteer opportunities with us. Disaster Action Teams visit every house fire in Upper Northumberland County offering assistance in the form of clothing, shelter and food to meet the immediate disaster related needs of victims. You can be part of this team; call Belinda to find out how.
The American Red Cross of Upper Northumberland County located in Milton, Pennsylvania would like to invite you to be a volunteer for Disaster Services. Every year in the United States there are over 70,000 disasters. Some disasters are small and some are very large. The most common disaster is the single family dwelling fire. Disasters are devastating. That is why we need your help.
Ninety-seven percent of the Red Cross Disaster Services is led by volunteers. When a disaster hits it is people like you who do their part and lend a helping hand.
Disasters can come quickly and often without warning. The devastation they leave behind is never forgotten.
The American Red Cross of Upper Northumberland County is making an appeal to you to get involved. There have been many times in history when the Red Cross stepped in to help the needy. We need you to make a difference in someone’s life. The rewards are many. Volunteers make the difference.
If you are interested in volunteering, even just for a short time, we would like to talk with you. Volunteers are valuable to our organization. Take that first step to a lifelong career in volunteering at the American Red Cross.
Please contact Belinda Stefl
American Red Cross of Upper Northumberland County
Thank You!
You will be glad that you did.
