PACKER TOWNSHIP -- Fire wrecked a home in Carbon County Wednesday and the man who called 911 was hurt.
It broke out around 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The owners were too upset to talk with on but they did get emotional support from friend and neighbor Ed Kunkle.
“Oh gosh, he’s a great family. I just feel so bad for him. He’s the type of guy that would do anything for you; it's just a shame,” said Kunkle.
Fire officials say a family member called 911 to report a kitchen fire. First responders say the blaze then quickly spread. They were hampered by a lack of hydrants in the area and had to truck water in.
“Until we get out here and get established, it got a little head start on us until we got here,” said Weatherly Fire Chief Don Weston. “The first couple of guys who got here, they did a good job at getting the bulk of the fire knocked down but when it got into the roof, then there’s a little space up there and the fire just ran the roof then.”
Pictures show firefighters battling the blaze at the Cichowic family home near Weatherly.
There was a lot of equipment at the fire scene.
Neighbor Diane Keiper watched the trucks go by her house. It brings back memories of a barn fire she experienced several years ago.
“It was bad. I lost all the kids’ stuff, I lost the kids things, pictures when they were born, stuff on top of tractors.”
Preliminarily, the state police fire marshal says this appears to be an accidental fire. The man who called in the blaze was burned on his arm however fire officials don’t believe it’s life-threatening.