2 firefighters hurt while battling blaze in Washington County

SOUTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP Pa. — Firefighters battled a two-alarm house fire in Washington County early Wednesday morning.

PHOTOS: Smoke pours from 2-alarm house fire in Washington County

According to Washington County 911, the fire broke out in the 1400 block of North Main Street in South Strabane Township at around midnight.

“I heard the alarms go off,” said Elizabeth Davidson. “Started seeing some of the blaze and the smoke.”

Home security video shows smoke, then flames, coming from the garage of a home on North Main Street in South Strabane.

“South Strabane police got there really quick,” Davidson said. “A lot of smoke first. Flickering flames. And then within a few minutes just engulfed the garage and then started engulfing the house.”

Elizabeth Davidson works for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and called 911 around midnight.

“I know the couple that lives there,” Davidson said. “My fear was that someone was inside.”

The couple who lived here was able to get out of the house on their own.

“Super sweet people,” Davidson said. “She has some health issues. They’re an older couple. My heart breaks for them.”

They watched as firefighters worked to put the fire out, which took about 6 hours.

The South Strabane Fire Chief Jordan Cramer told Channel 11 two firefighters were hurt at the scene but weren’t taken to the hospital.

In total, 35 firefighters from seven different departments responded to the fire. Chief Cramer said he called for extra manpower because of the cold and it took them longer to fight the fire because of the conditions.

“I could see they were having challenges with the hoses and things like that,” Davidson said. “They’re really great at what they do. Obviously, even in inclement weather like this they were able to make sure everyone was safe. They salvaged what they could. They did an amazing job. So hats off to them. My heart breaks for the couple. I think it’s important for the community to rally around them and hopefully, we can get some resources to them.”

The Pennsylvanian State Police Fire Marshal is looking into what started this fire. At this point, nothing looks out of the ordinary or suspicious.

The homeowner has worked at the Walmart off Route 19 as a greeter for more than five years. One of his coworkers said he’s one of their most caring associates. Walmart has a program called The Associates in Critical Need Trust (ACNT). It’s a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to eligible Walmart associates after they go through an unexpected, unavoidable event.

The American Red Cross said its Disaster Action Team helped two people affected by the blaze.

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