AUBURN TOWNSHIP – A chimney is all that’s left standing after flames leveled a home in Susquehanna County over the weekend.
Officials say the fire broke out early Sunday morning near the border of Wyoming and Susquehanna Counties in Auburn Township.
A next door neighbor spotted the blaze and rushed to call 911 before the fire could spread any further.
More than 24 hours after a fire ripped through this home in Susquehanna County the rubble is still smoldering. Only a few items are even recognizable.
Heather Ruff lives just next door and says she woke up to a burning smell around 5:30 a.m. Sunday and could hardly believe what she saw.
"I got up, I looked out my window and the house next door was on fire,” said Ruff.
Ruff used her walker to get downstairs and tell her landlord Kelly Bleich to call 911.
The homeowners Jeff and Ginny live out of state most of the time and weren’t home when the fire broke out. Neighbors say they loved to escape here, especially on the holidays.
"I know this was their place of peace, their vacation, get away from every-day life," said Kelly Bleich of Auburn Township.
Bleich quickly called for help, fearful that her home here could be next. But by the time fire crews arrived, all that was left standing was the chimney. Regardless, fire crews from two different counties worked tirelessly to keep other homes and people safe.
"Huge effort, it was a parade, there was a parade. It was all the way as far as they eyes can see, lights,” said Ruff.
Crews from Springville Fire Department posted photos that show just a few of the trucks that lined the narrow dirt road for hours to contain the fire.
"I have to be thankful for that because if they weren’t so quick at responding, we probably would have been next,” said Bleich. "It’s devastating, especially before Christmas, it’s devastating, devastating.”
A state police fire marshal is trying to determine the cause.