‘It looked like the whole woods was on fire’: Fire marshal investigating Bethel Park blaze

BETHEL PARK, Pa. — Bethel Park firefighters responded to a fire at a home along Fairview Drive around 6 a.m. Wednesday. Chief David Gerber said the fire started in a shed, spread to nearby trees and then the house.

“It was burning pretty good when we first got here,” he said.

Neighbor George Harris woke up and saw the flames.

“It looked like the whole woods was on fire,” he said. “It [the fire] was jumping up into the trees.”

According to Chief Gerber, a couple and their adult daughter got out safely, thanks to the watchful eyes of a good Samaritan.

“They were apparently sleeping,” said Gerber. “Neighbors knocked on the door screaming ‘your house is on fire.’”

“Whenever something like this happens we all come together,” said neighbor Ben O’Keefe. “It’s very alarming. It’s usually a quiet, dead-end street.”

O’Keefe and other neighbors quickly came together to help the family, offering food, drinks, and a place to stay.

“The nice thing is there’s a lot of support in this neighborhood,” he said.

Thankfully, Chief Gerber said the home should be fixable.

“The smoke and stuff is what damaged mostly the inside of the house,” said Gerber.

The fire marshal is investigating the exact cause of the fire, as well as the severity of the damage it caused.

RAW: Emergency crews respond to house fire in Fayette County

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