Blaze damages vacant Donora house

By CHRISTINE HAINES
chaines@yourmvi.com
Fire heavily damaged a vacant duplex at the corner of Sixth and Ella streets in Donora Monday evening, drawing fire companies from three counties to battle the blaze.
According to a Washington County 911 supervisor, firefighters from Washington, Westmoreland and Fayette counties responded to the fire which was reported shortly before 5 p.m.
“A motorist saw a lot of smoke and called 911. When we got here, it was up in flames,” said Donora police Officer Neal Rands.
Siding on the duplex could be seen melted and heavy smoke continued to pour from the structure 40 minutes later.
When a firefighter cut through the roof for ventilation, he was almost immediately rebuffed as flames shot through the roof.
According to a 911 supervisor, the fire was finally brought under control at 6:45 p.m., though crews remained on the scene.
Rands said the home’s ownership had recently changed hands. The house had also recently undergone renovations, he said.
A West Penn Power crew was called to the scene and confirmed that the power had been on at the building prior to the fire.
Additional information about the potential cause of the fire or the extent of the damage was not available Monday evening. One minor injury was reported.
Responding to the fire were firefighters from Donora, Carroll Township, New Eagle and Bentleyville Fire-Rescue in Washington County, Monessen No. 1 and Collinsburg in Westmoreland County and Washington Township in Fayette County.