Why?
This morning, I got word, that my Aunt and Uncle's farmhouse, burned down at 7 AM. My Uncle's nephew saw the fire while out hunting but it was too late - everything burned down.
(the fire marshals said it was due to electrical, the new electrical heater with too many cords in the outlet behind the couch caused it)
I remember my childhood at my cousin's farm, now its just a memory.
Thank God, for my aunt and uncle being awake, to get out with just what they were wearing.
"Posted in Breaking, News on Saturday, November 21st, 2009 at 7:52 pm by Intelligencer Reporter Christopher Ruvo
An elderly blind man and his wife escaped from their burning Bedminster home Saturday morning, but the blaze destroyed the old stone farm house, a fire official said.
A delayed dispatch, a narrow driveway and an equipment failure complicated matters for firefighters, around 100 of whom responded to the 7 a.m. call on the 1000 block of Rolling Hills Road.
The delayed dispatch was not the fault of emergency workers, but rather a cell phone, a fire official said.
Ottsville Fire Chief Tom Rimmer said the elderly man attempted to call 911 after realizing a fire had broken out. However, the phone, which the man tells to dial a certain number rather than manually dialing, did not call 911 as the resident directed, Rimmer said.
The man then called his daughter. She in turn called 911, but she lives in Abington and was threaded to Montgomery County dispatch.
After the daughter explained about the fire, Montgomery County contacted Bucks County, which then dispatched Ottsville.
“We probably lost 20 to 25 minutes,” said Rimmer, adding firefighters quickly realized they had a decent-sized fire on their hands. “We could see the smoke from four miles away.”
Firefighters soon arrived at the residence, but could not get a fire truck down the driveway, which was reportedly narrow and sloped at the sides. In attempting to turn onto the property, the truck became angled, with its wheels hanging off the driveway’s edge, Rimmer said.
As a result, firefighters had to stretch hoses about 400 feet up to the house to fight the flames, which were already roaring.
“Flames were shooting through the roof,” said Rimmer. “The whole front of the home was fully involved from ground to roof.”
Firefighters dispensed about 7,500 gallons of water at the outset, but the extinguishment effort soon hit another snag.
There are not hydrants in the area, and a truck from a neighboring fire company that was supposed to bring in a fresh supply of water had a mechanical malfunction with its pump, said Rimmer.
By the time another truck was readied and water supplied, about 20 minutes had elapsed, Rimmer said.
“It interrupted the flow,” said Rimmer. “We had a good knock on the fire and then it was able to start back up.”
Firefighters placed the blaze under control at 9:47 a.m., said Rimmer.
Indications are the fire started when a circuit overloaded, heating wires that ignited a couch, Rimmer said. The circuit had seven items plugged into it, including an “Amish” heater, said Rimmer.
The elderly man, who Rimmer said is legally blind, reportedly sustained minor burns and got soot in his eyes. His wife helped him from the home.
The Red Cross was called in to assist the couple. Rimmer believed the man and woman were staying with family in the Abington area.
The area of Rolling Hills Road was closed for about 10 hours Saturday as a result of the fire, Rimmer said. There was a closure on Fretz Valley Road that lasted for about 8 hours.
Firefighters from numerous companies in addition to Ottsville responded to the call, including Dublin, Plumsteadville, Quakertown, Richlandtown, Delaware Valley, Upper Black Eddy, Springtown, Point Pleasant, Midway, Silverdale, Hilltown, Doylestown, Riegelsville, Haycock, Chalfont, Sellersville and Milford, N.J.
