Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

A man escaped from his burning home Wednesday morning by jumping from a second-floor window. State police say Roy Pfoutz of St. Marys was asleep when a smoke detector woke him up at around 10:30 a.m. When he realized he couldn’t get out any other way, he jumped from the window. He was later treated at Penn Highlands Elk and then released. His wife, 12-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter were not home at the time. Fire marshal Greg Agosti says the fire started in an old refrigerator in the basement, and there was nothing suspicious about it. Damage is estimated at a quarter of a million dollars, and home was deemed a total loss. The Red Cross is helping the family. The Crystal Fire Department was assisted by the Fox Townships and Johnsonburg fire departments, as well as St. Marys Ambulance. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A controlled burn that got out of control yesterday has led to charges against a Kane man. Police say Theodore Alabaugh started the fire on land south of the Intersection of Route 6 and Olson Road, and owned by Thomas Olson of Kane. A passing motorist called 911 at around 3 p.m. The Kane Fire Department put out the fire. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

UPDATE: A problem with a truck’s electrical system caused it to catch fire on the loading dock of Mersen USA in St. Marys at just after noon on Monday. State police fire marshal Greg Agosti says the tractor-trailer was parked at the loading dock when the fire broke out in the engine compartment of the truck tractor and extended into the trailer. The fire continued through the trailer and caused moderate damage to the outside of the building, and slight damage to the inside. Altogether, damage is estimated at $350,000. No one was hurt. ~~~ A tractor-trailer truck caught fire at just after noon today near a loading dock at Mersen USA in St. Marys, and a state police fire marshal is trying to determine why. The fire destroyed the truck and damaged the loading dock. The truck was carrying artificial graphite. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

UPDATE (Friday morning): The fire is being considered suspicious, and Agosti says they are still investigating. City Fire Department Assistant Chief Rich Zmuda tells WESB that firefighters and four state police fire marshals -- three from PA and one from NY -- left the scene of the South Avenue fire at about 9 p.m. The cause is still under investigation and he expects PSP Cpl. Greg Agosti to issue a news release either later tonight or tomorrow. The New York fire marshal was called in because he has a fire-investigating dog whose services were needed. More than 40 firefighters from the city, Bradford Township and Derrick City battled the blaze at 103 South Avenue, starting at about 7:45 a.m. Neighbors heard an explosion shortly before that. The fire spread to 105 South Avenue, where it melted the siding and did other damage. No one was hurt. We'll pass along more information when we get it.

A clogged clothes dryer vent was the cause of a fire that damaged a mobile home in Smethport early Friday morning. A state police fire marshal says the fire started in the dryer vent that was completely clogged with lint. The fire spread from the vent to the interior of the home of Dennis Campbell, Anita Beard and 4-year-old and 2-year-old boys. No one was hurt. Damage is estimated at $30,000. The Red Cross is assisting the family. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The fire that damaged an Eldred house Thursday night has been ruled accidental. State Police Fire Marshal Greg Agosti say the fire at 25 Edson Street in the borough started at a propane grill on the back porch that was being used at the time. Damage is estimated at $140,000. The house is owned by Amanda Morrisroe. Agosti says the fire also damaged the house at 29 Edson Street owned by Monica Lowe, and the house at 30 Bennett Street owned by Duane Stull. There were no injuries. Star Hose Company of Port Allegany and the Portville, New York, Fire Department assisted the Eldred Borough Fire Department at the scene. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The fire at International Waxes (Petrowax) on Sunday has been ruled accidental, but a monetary damage estimate has not been determined yet. State Police Fire Marshal Greg Agosti says the explosion and resulting fire started in the filter house, which was significantly damaged. A smaller building was destroyed and five other buildings on the property now have moderate structural damage. One employee was hurt in the explosion. He was treated for his injuries and then released. No emergency responders were hurt. A team of five state police fire marshals and four agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Pittsburgh completed the investigation and say there are no suspicious circumstances. Agosti adds that there is not a threat to the environment or area surrounding the facility as a result of the incident. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Arson is the cause of a fire at an unoccupied South Avenue house Saturday morning. The fire at 64 South Avenue was reported at about 9:30 a.m. Damage was minimal and was limited to a small area on the first floor of the two-story house. The building has been unoccupied for a substantial period of time. Authorities do not know who owns the house. State police fire marshal Greg Agosti is investigating and asks anyone with information on the fire to contact him or City of Bradford Police. Agosti also asks area residents to contact police if they see any suspicious activity around vacant or abandoned buildings. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Police say a Bradford man has confessed to setting two fires on December 17 and is charged in connection to two more fires last month. 21-year-old Harvey Rose, who is also facing charges after his two-week-old baby was burned by bath water earlier this month, told police he started fires at 8 Thompson Avenue and 10 Congress Place, according to papers filed in District Judge Dominic Cercone’s office. Rose is also accused of setting a fire at 125 West Washington Street on January 8 because he was upset with a resident he says owed him money and wanted to scare her. Surveillance video from Oxley’s Service Center captured Rose riding a bicycle to and from the scene. He is also charged in connection to a fire at an apartment building at 338 East Main Street on January 11. 25-year-old Jeremiah Smith of Bradford is also charged in connection to that fire. Smith and Rose each told police that the other man started the fire. Surveillance video from the nearby Kwik Fill gas station shows the...

The investigation is continuing into a fire that damaged a two-story Johnsonburg home early this morning. State Police fire marshal Greg Agosti say the fire at 204 Blaine Avenue was reported at about 12:30 a.m. and did about $150,000 worth of damage. Four adults were in the house at the time, but they were able to escape without injury. George and Lisa Pontious are the owners of the house. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Two men were able to escape from their Weedville house before it was destroyed by fire late Wednesday night. Firefighters say the blaze at the River Road home of Dennis Celinski and Curtis Piszenski started at about 11:30 p.m. Firefighters were on the scene until about 6 o’clock Thursday morning. Route 255 was closed between Caledonia and Weedville while firefighters were battling the blaze. Flames damaged Windstream Fiber Optic Cable and West Penn Power Lines, causing a telephone outage in the area. One firefighter suffered a minor injury. He was taken by ambulance to Elk Regional Health Center, where he was treated and released, according to state police fire marshal Greg Agosti. The Red Cross provided food, clothing and shelter to Celinski and Piszenski. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

The investigation continues into the Friday night fire that left five young Bradford children and a woman homeless. State Police fire marshal Greg Agosti says the blaze started on the cook top of the kitchen stove, but they are still investigating the cause, as well the welfare of the children, ages 1 through 7. The fire at 7 South Center Street was reported by a neighbor at just before 8 p.m. Another neighbor saw smoke, went inside the apartment and found an unattended 4-year-old girl sleeping on the living room couch. The little girl was rescued and was not hurt. 32-year-old Susan Hassek, who lived in the apartment, was not home at the time. Damage is estimated at $92,000. Hassek did not have renter’s insurance. The apartment is owned by the Bradford City Housing Authority. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Fire did more than a quarter of a million dollars’ worth of damage to an auto body repair shop in Elk County late Tuesday afternoon. State Police fire marshal Greg Agosti says the fire started at just after 5:30 p.m. at the Kersey Motor Company on Zola Street in Fox Township. Agosti says the fire was accidental, and did about $350,000 worth of damage. Image from Google Earth © The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Fires in Lewis Run and St. Marys on Sunday have both been ruled accidental. State police fire marshal Greg Agosti says the fire at the home of Christopher Slike in Lewis Run started in a laundry room with a leak in a propane system being used to fuel the water heater. Damage is estimated at $100,000. The fire at the home of Laurie Richards in St. Marys started in the attic because of an electrical issue with a surge protector/power strip. Damage is estimated at $60,000. No one was hurt in either fire. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Arson has been determined as the cause of the fire that damaged buildings in the Ridgway Borough Maintenance facility last Friday. State Police fire marshal Greg Agosti says because people were in the area at the time it’s likely there are witnesses who may have seen someone start the fire. The fire was reported at just after 6 o’clock last Friday evening. Anyone who may have seen someone walking along South Street at around the that time is asked to contact Agosti at 776-6136 or Ridgway Borough Police at 773-5125. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Police and fire officials have finished their investigation in the fire at the Domtar paper plant in Johnsonburg, but they still don’t know what sparked the blaze. The fire started on the afternoon on July 12 in an underground wood chip transportation tunnel and, although it was under control the next morning, it was not completely extinguished until Wednesday. State Police fire marshal Greg Agosti says the “fire issues” between July 13 and Thursday were isolated to the above ground wood chip storage area near the tunnel system. The smoldering of the chip pile was a result of the tunnel fire. Agosti says although they don’t know what started the fire it is not considered suspicious. Domtar is now working on cleanup and repair. A dollar estimate for the damage is not available yet. Hundreds of firefighters from across the region, including McKean County, battled the blaze. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Extensive damage to an underground tunnel may delay the investigation of the fire at the Domtar Paper Company in Johnsonburg. State Police fire marshal Greg Agosti says much of Friday’s fire was in a 1,000-foot tunnel under the chip yard at the plant. He says concerns about air quality in the tunnel, and the danger of a collapse, may delay the start of the investigation until mid-week. He says he expects the investigation to be lengthy. No one was hurt in the fire that was reported at about 12:30 Friday afternoon. About 200 firefighters from at 25 departments in six counties – including McKean – helped battle the blaze until about 11 o’clock Saturday morning. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Fire destroyed a Jefferson County house Thursday evening and investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the blaze. The fire at the Big Run home of Melvin Coblentz was reported at about 5:45 p.m. Damage is estimated at a quarter of a million dollars. No one was hurt. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A plastic toy melting in a forced air heating vent caused a fire in Ridgway this morning. State Police fire marshal Greg Agosti says the fire started at just before 8 a.m. at the Sherman Avenue home of 29-year-old Dolri Pounds. No one was hurt. Damage is estimated at $5,000. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

A problem with a chimney pipe from a wood stove has been determined as the cause of a fire that damaged a West Washington Street house Wednesday night. The fire did about $40,000 worth of damage to the house owned by Justin Watts. State Police fire marshal Greg Agosti says the fire was accidental. No one was hurt in the blaze. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947