DORNSIFE — A family of eight was left homeless Friday after a fire destroyed its remote two-story home in Little Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County.
Firefighters from at least 11 Valley departments responded to the morning fire in which no one was reported injured, but a fire company sustained $3,000 in damage to its equipment.
Todd and Nadine Myers and their six children, ages 16 to 2, were not home when the blaze began. Todd was at work and Nadine had a doctor’s appointment and went shopping afterwards, said Todd’s mother, Janet Myers.
The family will be staying with friends and relatives, Janet Myers said.
Firefighters from Herndon arrived first, at 10:40 a.m., and were among volunteers to battle the blaze on Dornsife Mountain Road for four hours.
The home is a total loss, said Herndon Fire Chief Tony Gilligan. He could not estimate the cost of damage, but said houses in the area are worth about $120,000.
A Coal Township firefighter said the fire was fully involved when his company arrived on the scene about 15 minutes after receiving the call. He also confirmed that three rabbits, housed in a hutch outside of the home, survived the blaze.
“He (Myers) was doing a lot of remodeling. He was really making it look nice,” said a neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous.
The Herndon Fire Department sustained about $3,000 in damage to its fire engine and equipment, Gilligan said. The windshield on its fire engine cracked from the heat of the nearby flames. A fire hose was also severely damaged.
“Despite all that, we’re still in service,” Gilligan said.
A fire marshal is expected to investigate the site Monday.
The American Red Cross has been notified of the family’s plight.
Firefighters from Trevorton, Dalmatia, Hickory Corners, Coal Township, Shamokin, Sunbury, Lower Augusta Township, Elysburg, Overlook and Stonington assisted the Herndon company.
n E-mail comments to tpursell@dailyitem.com or rdandes@dailyitem.com
News
Related Photos
-
Harry Deitz/For The Daily Item
-
Tricia Pursell/The Daily Item
-
Harry Deitz
-
Harry Deitz
Discussion
Rural house fire leaves family of 8 homeless
Heat from flames cracks fire engine’s windshield
- News
-
-
Jerry Sandusky argues for local jurors, suggests delay
HARRISBURG — Jerry Sandusky wants jurors in his child sex-abuse trial to be chosen from the community where he lives and is suggesting a trial delay may be the best way to address the intense publicity generated by the case.
-
State House enters second day of debate on gas drilling bill
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania's House of Representatives is beginning its second day of debate on a bill to impose a fee on natural-gas drilling in Pennsylvania and toughen regulations over the booming industry.
-
Cases involving gas station drug sales advance to Montour County Court
DANVILLE – Three people charged with selling heroin and Oxycotin tablets during two separate transactions at a convenience store lot Jan. 2 will face court action.
-
Danville school options aired with borough council
DANVILLE — After borough officials pledged to work with school officials toward a decision on the flood-damaged middle school, council members voted not to give or sell any farmland it owns. The purpose of the unanimous action by the council Tuesday night was so the district knows that rumored option to move the school won’t happen. The borough owns a farm across from the Danville Primary School.
-
Five watershed projects receive $873,000 in state funding
NORTHUMBERLAND -- Five Valley watershed projects will get nearly $873,000 from the state Department of Environmental Protection, which announced funding for 73 projects to improve watersheds, stormwater runoff, acid mine drainage and educational programs, among other environmental efforts.
-
Dispute turns into gun threat, troopers say
After an argument in which his wife threatened divorce, William Warren Woolsey, 36, grabbed a .22-caliber rifle and told her to meet him in the bedroom, saying he would kill himself, state police at Milton said.
-
Mom allegedly beat toddlers with brush
MIFFLINBURG -- A 22-year-old Mifflinburg mother has been charged with beating her two toddlers with a hairbrush until they bled from abrasions all over their faces and bodies, state police at Milton said. The abuse came to light when Brittany Morgan Sullivan's parents came home and found the wounds on their grandchildren, according to police.
-
Commissioners give disabled Sunburian a chance
SUNBURY -- A 22-year-old disabled man asked the Northumberland County commissioners a life-changing question last week. "Can I have a job?" Giuseppe Bua, of Sunbury, was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a genetic disorder in which bones break easily. Sometimes the bones break for no known reason. The disorder also can cause weak muscles, brittle teeth, a curved spine and hearing loss.
-
Trucking firm to add 25 drivers
MILTON -- The president of Watsontown Trucking Co. said Tuesday that his firm will be hiring 25 truck drivers in addition to several diesel technician and management positions, all due to expansion. President Steve Patton said the company, which has been in the Milton Industrial Park since 2004, bought 14 additional acres in the park, adding 10,000 square feet of office space and maintenance facilities. Construction on the new space, he said, will begin shortly and is targeted to be completed by June.
-
Mayor wants trucks to help fund roads
SUNBURY -- Mayor David Persing is frustrated with truck traffic entering the former Celotex site on North Front Street, and he wants to do something about it. Charge an impact fee. Gas companies have paid millions to repair roads damaged by trucks in the Marcellus shale region, and Persing wants to levy a fee to compensate the city for damage to roads caused by trucks hauling drilling waste through the city. About $25 per truck per visit, he said.
-
18-year-old dies in truck crash on Routes 11-15
LIVERPOOL -- An 18-year old Selinsgrove man was killed when his pickup truck collided with a tractor-trailer on Routes 11-15 in Perry County.
-
Reactions to budget plan mixed
SUNBURY -- Reaction to Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed 2012-2013 budget came from all directions Tuesday.
- More News Headlines
-
Jerry Sandusky argues for local jurors, suggests delay
