A firefighting father and son duo came to the rescue Friday morning when fire broke out at the home of a next-door neighbor in Derry Township.

New Alexandria fire Chief Andrew Kolano credited the quick action of his department’s safety officer, Watson Smith Jr., and the officer’s son, fire Sgt. Gregory Smith, with assisting in a quick knockdown of the small electrical fire in a home along Route 981 just outside New Alexandria.

“They used a garden hose and kept the fire in check,” Kolano said.

“It was very lucky that there were firefighters living next to him and we knew what to do,” said Watson Smith, a 33-year veteran of the fire service.

The fire was sparked about 8 a.m. by a toaster oven while the homeowner was making breakfast, according to Kolano.

The Smiths were surprised when the signal dispatching the fire department came through on their phones and they realized the fire was next door.

As his son grabbed firefighting gear they had on hand, Watson Smith heard their neighbor calling for help from inside his house.

“I was calling out to him,” Smith said. “I went in through his garage and found him in the kitchen. I grabbed him and pulled him out and, at that point, my son got there and gave me the garden hose.

“There was a lot of smoke inside, from the ceiling to the floor.”

He said his son, who has served with the department for seven years, prevented the neighbor from reentering the house to search for his dog. The Smiths and Kolano completed that search and brought the pet out safely.

Firefighting crews were dispatched from several area departments, including New Alexandria, Bradenville, Crabtree, Blairsville, Tunnelton and Saltsburg.

“Probably some restoration will be needed to the house, but there was no major damage,” Kolano said. “We used a minimal amount of water. There was some smoke damage in the kitchen and dining room.”

The homeowner was checked out at the scene by medics. He will be staying with a family member, Kolano said.

About 9:30 a.m., just as the first responders were finishing work at the Derry Township site, another electrical fire was reported at a home on Route 819 in Salem.

With their trucks already manned and on the road, many departments headed directly to the Salem fire before being officially dispatched.

“They got on the scene and all did a great job,” said Forbes Road fire Chief Bob Rosatti, who was in charge at the Salem blaze.

A utility meter was on fire on the exterior of that house and spread flames to some adjacent siding and wood sheeting before firefighters were able to douse them, Rosatti said.

Two residents got out of the home safely, he said. West Penn Power remotely disconnected electric service and sent a technician to the scene, Rosatti said.

No injuries were reported in either of the fires.

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