Fundraiser set up after Elizabeth Twp. house fire

There were no injuries in the blaze, and Dawn Murphy-Burnheimer’s three dogs were able to escape the home.

A fundraiser is underway for an Elizabeth Township resident whose home sustained major damage in a fire early Sunday morning.

Blaine Hill firefighters responded to the blaze at the 203 Ross St. home, where flames and smoke were billowing from the windows. A passerby saw the fire and called 911 about 1:45 a.m.

The home belongs to Dawn Murphy- Burnheimer, who lives there with her three dogs.

“We believe it possibly could have started in the basement,” said Mercedes Boyce, Blaine Hill Volunteer Fire Company Deputy Fire Chief. “As of right now, the fire is still under investigation. So we don’t have that answer.”

No one was injured, according to a Blaine Hill Facebook post, and the fire was extinguished after two hours.

All three dogs were secured with no injuries, and Boyce said she believes they got out prior to the fire starting.

The Facebook post said multiple agencies — including Elizabeth Township Police and Fire Department, Lincoln Boro VFRC #1, Citizens Hose Co. #1 of Glassport Station 161, Clairton Volunteer Fire Department Station 123 and Elizabeth Boro V.F.C. — were at the scene.

A GoFundme page was started Sunday by Stephanie McNutt of Jacksonville, N.C., who is Murphy- Burnheimer’s niece. She wrote on the page that her aunt has been a “pillar of friendship and community” for years.

“If there was someone sick, she participated in whatever fundraiser was available, even if she was low on cash for herself,” the GoFundme page reads. “If you needed a ride to the hospital, she would take you. She also has loved her nieces and nephews like her own kids, and has spoiled her great nephew Keith like he is her grandson since before he was born.

“She has always opened her home to them and everyone else for Fourth of July BBQs, Christmas and Thanksgiving, or just a simple dip in the pool and a meal on the grill. If there is anyone that will give you their last dollar or a place to crash for the night, it’s Dawn. At this time, Dawn needs her community around her.”

As of Sunday night, the GoFund-Me account had raised $1,540. It can be found at https://www.gofundme. com/f/support-dawn-andher- dogs-in-their-recovery.

Murphy-Burnheimer was in North Carolina for her niece’s birthday weekend when she got the call that her house caught fire, according to a Facebook post from McNutt, who said the house is where she got to reconnect with her aunt after decades of not seeing her.

Murphy-Burnheimer only has the clothes she took with her on the trip in her backpack and the cash she brought with her, according to the GoFundme page. She has expenses that include replacing her clothes, finding a place for her and her dogs and replacing her entire household.

“There is a long road before she can even begin to collect any insurance if they pay out,” McNutt stated in the Facebook post. “I’ve created (the GoFundme) to help her get back on her feet. This woman is basically my mother, and we are heartbroken for her. Please donate or share as you can.”