Propane tanks explode during fire at Upper Burrell home

A house along Lincoln Boulevard in Upper Burrell was heavily damaged by fire late Friday morning.

The fire at 123 Lincoln Blvd., which runs parallel to Route 366, was reported at 11:21 a.m., according to a Westmoreland County emergency dispatcher.

Upper Burrell fire Chief Bryan Fitch said flames and smoke could be seen coming from the roof of the one-and-a-half-story, wood-frame house as firefighters arrived.

Some propane tanks on the front porch exploded, which added to the fire, he added.

Firefighters knocked down the fire in just under a half-hour and then began combing through the charred remains of the house looking for any hot spots that could rekindle the fire, Fitch said.

Aerial trucks from New Kensington and Washington simultaneously sprayed water on top of the blaze, helping to quickly extinguish the fire.

“Response time wasn’t an issue, but we had more fire companies than I could count,” he said. “At first people didn’t know if the fire was in Upper Burrell or Plum because the house is near the border,” Fitch said.

Fitch estimated at least 10 departments responded to the fire.

No one was home when the fire started, but authorities suspected that a dog was inside. A couple of vehicles in a neighboring detached garage were destroyed, Fitch said.

Fitch did not know what caused the fire. It will be investigated.

The fire was the second one to heavily damage an Alle-Kiski Valley house Friday. A fire started about an hour earlier at a house on Cheswick’s Beech Street.