A fire destroyed a home in the early morning hours of Saturday in Butler Township’s village of Lavelle.
Just after midnight, emergency crews were dispatched to 55 Reichwein Road for a reported structure fire. Lavelle Fire Chief Russ Hummel, along with Lavelle, Gordon, Mount Carmel, and Ashland fire crews and Butler Township Police, were among the first to arrive.
Due to the home’s remote location, responders initially had difficulty finding the address and establishing a water supply near the scene. A tanker task force was quickly requested to bring in additional water to battle the blaze.
The homeowner and his dogs managed to escape the burning home without injury. When firefighters reached the property, they found the rear of the home and quickly spreading into the home. With the fire spreading rapidly, crews were forced into a defensive exterior attack.
Chief Hummel requested a second alarm, summoning additional manpower to assist. Despite their efforts, the home was destroyed. Firefighters remained on the scene until around 6:00 a.m. Saturday. Crews were later called back twice over the weekend, once later on Saturday and again Sunday morning, to extinguish rekindles.
The American Red Cross was contacted to assist the displaced homeowner.
There is no word on a cause of the fire.
Photo Credit / Don Scicchitano/D. Scicchitano Photography